To Be Free
by Cortney-Elznic
Summary: In 1910, fifteen-year-old Maddie Ross flees from her home to Mexico, where she meets a peculiar old man who appears to be the savior of the town he resides in. With the old man's help, she learns to become a skilled gunslinger and embarks on an adventure of her dreams. Prequel to To Tame the Wild.
1. Chapter 1: Runaway

**Chapter Track** : "Merida Rides Away" – Patrick Doyle, _Brave_ soundtrack

* * *

In the middle of the night, she took off on her rocky mountain filly, galloping hard across the Great Plains as far away from Blackwater as possible. The young horse flew over the plains with unmatched speed and prowess, carrying the sobbing, fifteen-year-old girl far away from the pain and betrayal she'd been suffering from the past year. The wind tore at the young girl's long hair, making it whip about behind her as her horse sprinted down the road and into the marshlands. The filly streaked through Thieves Landing at a hell-bent sprint, nearly trampling several townsfolk in her haste.

They left the marshlands behind them and galloped into New Austin territory, through a large and impressive ranch—Maddie didn't care to look around her and figure out who's ranch she was riding through; she merely concentrated on clutching onto her horse and riding as fast and as far away from home as possible. In no time at all, she and Gypsy found themselves crossing into foreign land. Gypsy had all but played herself out then, and after crossing a bridge, the filly came to a stop and stood panting with her head hung low and her legs shaking. The poor creature was drenched in sweat and her sides heaved.

Wiping the tears, sweat, and dirt off her face, Maddie sat up in the saddle and took in the scenery. The uncharted territory was majestic and beautiful, with promising wide-open spaces and an endless sky. White sand and desert sage covered the new land that Gypsy stood upon; large red mesas and canyons stretched up high into the night sky. The young girl was bewildered at herself as well—she had just pulled the gutsiest stunt in her entire life, and now that she was so far gone that she was utterly lost, she began to quiver. She looked over her shoulder at the bridge and debated whether or not to turn back around.

 _No_ , a voice within her head chastised. _You're a fool and a coward for thinking of turning back. You've come this far; don't you dare turn back! You're free now, so just keep riding._

The young girl dismounted to stretch her legs and give her horse a proper rest. While the filly tried to catch her breath, Maddie rummaged through her saddle bags. Everything she had, everything she valued, was in there. There wasn't much, though—a wad of cash sat on the bottom, the last of her father's and step-mother's money; wrapped up in a cloth was enough rations to last her a week or so; a revolver and two boxes of ammunition sat in the other bag, as well as a canteen full of cool water. The only set of clothes she had was what she wore. She looked down at her shirt, trousers, and boots and frowned—she was covered in trail dust and horse sweat. _Well, so much for keeping clean for a while_ , she thought. She frowned as she tried to run her fingers through her elbow-length dark brown hair; she was unsuccessful, however, as she came to discover that her hair was in knots. "Goddamn it," she growled. With a sigh of frustration, she took her hand out from the tangles and gave up. "Guess I'll have to get cleaned up somewhere…but where the hell am I?"

Clueless as to what to do next and seeking comfort, she reached within her shirt and took out the one thing she had left of her late mother. With both hands, she delicately clutched at the locket that was attached to a long golden chain around her neck. She opened the locket and stared longingly at the old photo of her beautiful mother in her wedding dress. Though the picture was black and white, she saw her mother just as she remembered her: her intuitive brown eyes, her pale, fair flesh, the flawless white dress, and her long, reddish-brown hair that fell to her hips. Irene Ross stared back at her, seemingly peering deep into her soul and inserting the answers to her daughter's questions. Maddie recalled her thick Irish accent, the way the words floated off her tongue and sounded as if she were about to sing. And, oh, her singing… Maddie remembered the way her mother's heavenly voice would travel throughout the house as she sang to her little daughter while she combed her hair or worked in the kitchen. So many Irish folk songs were sung in that house, songs that Maddie still remembered. She sniffed as tears began to well in her eyes; she hastily wiped them away with the back of a hand.

 _Ride on, my child_ , the photo seemed to say. _Ride on…_

Maddie tucked the locket back into her shirt. She mounted her horse and squeezed her heels to the filly's sides, and the horse walked on down the road.

It wasn't until the sun had begun to rise that Maddie and Gypsy stumbled upon a town; in the grey light of dawn, they'd ridden out of the white spiraling, twisting trails within the desert and up a large hill. Maddie tiredly looked about her surroundings as her horse plodded into town: to her right was a rickety marketplace, already bustling with people. To the left, she passed a building with a sign that read " _BANCO_ ". She gazed over the citizens of the town—they were all dark-skinned, with black hair and speaking a foreign language that sounded so odd to her ears, yet it was lyrical and held a rapid beat to it. Wide-brimmed hats and colorful blankets adorned the locals; donkeys and emaciated horses were hitched throughout the town. If she didn't know any better, she would've assumed that she'd ridden deep into Mexico.

She pulled up her horse before a hitching post in front of a building with the words " _ALCALDE DE CHUPAROSA_ " on the front. Before she had dismounted, Gypsy stuck her muzzle into the water trough beside the hitching post and began noisily drinking. Maddie's legs screamed at her as she dismounted and walked around her horse, trying to stretch out her sore, stiff legs and taking in her surroundings. The town was beautiful, in its own strange way, and the locals seemed friendly enough. The men and women that passed by stared at her white skin and tangled dark hair; they gawked at her uncanny dress and her enervated horse. Maddie nodded amicably and greeted them shyly, but they didn't seem to understand her. She grew silent and stood close to her horse while she drank her fill.

Suddenly, her uneasiness rose. Wanton eyes fell upon her, lingering on her small frame much longer than she wanted. Turning, she looked over to a building labeled " _POSADA_ " and met gazes with an old man that wasn't as dark-skinned as the others. And unlike the other men in town, he had grey hair and a large mustache. His grey eyes held her captivated, and she froze with fear as he rose from his seat and strolled her way. Subconsciously, she stepped even closer to her horse, who had lifted her head from drinking and eyed her rider with curiosity.

"You look a long way from home," the old man said as he came to stand before her. His raspy, deep voice betrayed his threatening impression. Maddie stared up into his steel-grey eyes. They were the only part of his old body that remained youthful and bright. He rested his hands on his gun belt; the butt of his revolver peeked out from behind his grey coat.

"Hell, you look like some runaway mail-order bride, miss," he continued.

"I sure as shit am not!" she snapped and, much to her dismay and shame, burst into tears.

The man put a hand on her shoulders. "Whoa, whoa, whoa there, sweet girl! What's the matter?"

"I…I r-ran away from… h-home! My m-m-mother's dead and… my father got remarried to a… h-heinous _bitch_ that tried to make her step-daughter, and… _and I HATE her!_ "

"So what in the hell are you doing here in Mexico?"

She couldn't stop sobbing long enough to answer.

"Easy there, girl. Calm down." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her toward what looked like the local saloon. He sat her down at one of the poker tables and took a seat across from her, not once taking his eyes off her. "What's your name?"

She stifled her sobs and ran a hand over her face.

"How long has it been since you ate? You look a little rough around the edges, if you don't mind me saying so."

She shrugged.

"Well, let me make you a deal: how 'bout I take you to a room to clean up, and when you're freshened up, I'll give you something to eat and you can tell me everything that happened. How does that sound?"

She nodded, too upset to argue.

"Well, alright then. Follow me."

They rose from their seats and walked around the corner of the saloon to a wooden door. He opened it for her and ushered her in. "There's a wash basin and a tub for you. I'll have one of the ladies give you some spare clothes; they can clean what you've got on as well."

Numbly, she stumbled over the threshold and into the spacious room. Once she had entered, the man closed the door behind her. It was complete with a bed, a dresser, a wash basin, and a tub, as the man had said. In a daze, she undressed and filled the bath tub with the water that was in the basin. She took her time scrubbing off the dirt and horse sweat that had seeped through her clothes and caked her flesh. She took great care in washing her tangled hair as well, and once she was clean, she stepped out of the tub and did her best to comb through her matted hair.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Frightened, Maddie gave a scared squeak and covered her nude self with her hands just as the door opened and a beautiful Latina woman walked in. The woman seemed unaffected by her nakedness as she strolled forward and handed her a stack of folded undergarments, a beautiful Mexican dress, a comb, and a jar of oil. As the woman spoke in the language she couldn't understand, she gesticulated toward the clothing and the oil, demonstrating with the comb and her own long dark hair. She faked dipping her hands in the oil then rubbing them together and running her hands over her body and through her hair, and then combing it. Maddie nodded all the while, clueless as to what she was saying, but understanding what she was hinting at. Once the woman seemed satisfied that Maddie understand well enough, she picked up Maddie's soiled clothes and left the room without another word. Maddie imitated the woman's actions and moisturized her body with the oil. Once she had done so, she put on the undergarments and then the dress, even though she deplored wearing dresses now. She ran her oiled fingers through her hair, starting at the ends and working upwards, combing it free of the tangles. Once she was done, she stepped out of the room and looked about for the strange old man.

He was standing beside the door leaning up against the wall. He looked her over and smirked. "Feel better now?"

Maddie blushed and stared down at her dusty boots.

"C'mon, let's get some food in you." He led her into the saloon and seated her at one of the tables. As he sat down across from her, the bartender came over and looked down at her and the man. He spoke in the foreign language Maddie didn't understand, so she sat in awkward silence, not knowing what to do, but just then the old man answered back in the same strange language. The bartender nodded and walked away, disappearing behind the bar and through a door.

"He's getting you some food," the old man explained, "and some water, too." He leaned forward on his elbows and looked deep into her eyes. "Now, what's your name?"

"What's yours?" she retorted.

"You needn't be frightened of me, girl. There's no need for such hostility, especially since I'm providing you a bath, some clothes, and a meal. It's only fair that you answer my question, now, isn't it?"

"I'm Maddie Ross."

"And how old are you, Miss Ross?"

"Fifteen."

"And what's a fifteen-year-old girl like you doing here? Where are you from?"

She crossed her arms. "Blackwater."

The old man's bushy white eyebrows rose. "You rode that far to get here? Why?"

"Like I said, my mother's dead and my father remarried. I got sick of it all and wanted to get away. So I did."

"That's a hell of a long ride just to get away from home, don't you think?"

She shook her head. "The farther away I am, the better I'll be." She motioned to him with a jerk of her chin. "My turn to ask the questions. What's _your_ name?"

"Landon Ricketts, miss."

"And what's an old man like yourself doing in a place like this?"

He crossed his arms as well and shrugged. "Living quietly, waiting."

"For what?"

"I don't know. Just waiting, I guess."

She eyed him with a strange countenance. "That doesn't make much sense."

"Neither does a little girl running away from home."

She glared at him and opened her mouth to shoot back an angry retort, but just then the bartender set the plate in front of her. She stared down at the foreign concoction, bewildered but hungry. It certainly smelled delicious.

"Go ahead," Landon coaxed. "Dig in."

"What is all this?"

"Beans, rice, and an enchilada. Eat, girl. You're a skinny little thing. You look pretty famished."

She took up the fork and ravenously began to eat. The new food was indeed delicious and filling, and in between bites and sips of water, she looked up at Landon with growing fondness. As much as she wouldn't outright admit it, the stubborn, sharp-witted old man was beginning to grow on her.

Her meal was abruptly interrupted by a terrified scream from outside. Maddie jumped in her seat and dropped her fork. Landon leapt to his feet, his hand grasping the butt of his revolver. A second later, a distraught woman ran into the saloon, shouting Landon's last name. He hailed her from across the room, and she came running up to him. She stammered over her words, sobbing and afraid, and in the rapid language, she prattled off a story that Maddie was totally clueless about. The next thing Maddie knew, she was following Landon and the woman outside; they stumbled upon a terrifying scene.

Before the saloon, two Mexican men stood ten feet from each other with their revolvers pointed at each other's faces. They were arguing back and forth about something. The woman tugged on Landon's arm and pleaded with him.

"What's going on?" Maddie demanded, looking from the two men to Landon.

Her question fell on deaf ears as Landon strolled forward and spoke to the men before him. For a long tense couple minutes, the three divulged into a heated conversation. It looked as if the men's revolvers were slowly beginning to lower. The minutes dragged on, and so did the conversation…until the man who'd drawn first decided to take action.

In the split second that it took for the man to raise his gun and point it at the other, Landon had drawn his gun and shot him down. It was too fast for Maddie to follow, and as the man fell dead upon the ground, the other man holstered his gun and turned towards Landon. He ran up to his savior and fervently shook his hand, speaking to him in rapid Spanish. Landon brushed off his gratitude and acted as if it was nothing, like killing the man wasn't a huge deal.

After the man and woman graciously thanked him and gave him what little money they had on their person, Landon turned and headed back inside the saloon.

"Holy shit!" Maddie exclaimed as she jogged after him. "How…How did you do that? I didn't even see you take out your gun, Mister Ricketts! Wow!"

He turned around sharply and stared her down, causing her to stop abruptly. "First of all, Miss Ross, I'll have you not speak in such an unladylike fashion. And second, it wasn't that exciting as you'd like to believe. Things like that happen here in Chuparosa all the damn time, whether or not I try to stop it. Crime is everywhere Mexico. It's just the unfortunate way of things in this country."

"What happened? Why did you shoot that man?"

"Those two idiots were fighting over that woman. I tried talking the one down, but he wasn't going to have none of that, so I did what was necessary."

She gaped up at him in wonder. "So… are you the sheriff of this town?"

He chortled as he turned and walked back to their table. "I guess that's one way of seein' it."

"Can… can you teach me that?" Maddie asked as she took her seat.

He blinked and looked up at her. "What does a little girl like you want to do with guns and violence?"

"I want to be able to defend myself as you just did."

The old gunslinger looked her over with a mixture of emotions. "You want to be a gunslinger, too, huh? So does every young person. Trust me, kid, it's not as great as you think it is."

"Please, Mister Ricketts! Please teach me! If I'm gonna be out on my own, I want to be as good with a gun as you are."

Again, he regarded her with indecision.

" _Please_ , Mister Ricketts. _Please_ teach me."

With a sigh, he holstered his revolver. "I suppose teaching a little thing like you how to shoot couldn't hurt. Alright, kid. Let's get you started tomorrow, then. But if I'm gonna teach you how to shoot, you'll have to do something for me in return."

"What is that?"

"You're gonna have to tell me your story, little Miss Ross."

"Only if you tell me yours."

A twinkle entered his eye as he smirked at her. "Deal."

Maddie smiled as she picked up her fork and returned to her meal. "Deal."


	2. Chapter 2: Target Practice

**Chapter Track: "** The Arena" – Lindsey Stirling

* * *

"You call that shooting, missy?"

Maddie's lip twitched as the old man's raspy voice teased at her ear and prickled her rising anger. "I know what I'm doin', goddamn it!"

"Watch your language, Miss Ross."

She flicked her seething gaze to him. "I know how to shoot!"

"Like hell you do," he shot back. His eyes glinted with a mixture of reminiscence and humor. He sat atop an empty barrel and leaned his back against the white wall of Chuparosa. A cigarette rested gently between his index and middle finger in his left hand; in the other, he held a bottle of tequila. "Hold your gun steady, and bend them knees, girl. You're standing stiffer than a tall hickory on the plains."

With an extravagant sigh and a nasty scowl, she turned and faced him with one hand resting haughtily on her hip and the other gripping the semi-automatic pistol he'd given her. Her long hair swayed lazily in the cool breeze. "For your information, Ricketts my pa showed me how to shoot! Granted, that's the only thing he did right with me but—"

"He failed at that, too, kid," Landon corrected, looking at her with a penetrating stare. He nodded towards the line of empty bottles twenty yards in front of his pupil. "Show me what you've got, and without all that sass."

She rolled her eyes as she turned back to the bottles before her. She brought the pistol back up and looked down the barrel for what seemed like the tenth time that morning. She blinked as she pulled the trigger. The gun kicked back, nearly hitting her forehead and almost knocking off the black Stetson hat Landon had bought her. Just as she predicted, the bottle still stood in one piece, taunting her.

"Hold it steady!" Landon chastised, his rustic voice rising in pitch.

"I _AM_!" she shrieked, and then proceeded to fire off three rounds at the target. The bottle remained untouched. "SON OF A BITCH!"

" _Watch your mouth!_ "

Maddie tossed her head in defeat and paced back and forth in front of him. Her duster swayed and billowed about with each turn.

Landon cocked an eyebrow at her as she glanced over at him. "You feel better now?"

"No!"

"Then why'd you waste those bullets?"

She glared at him through her long, wind-blown hair tresses.

"Don't you give me that look. Stop getting so worked up, girl. You're letting your—"

"Anger get the best of me, I know!" She flicked her hair back with a jerk of her head and glared at the bottle before her with all the hatred she could project upon an inanimate object.

"Then what's the problem, _mi niña_?"

She jammed the pistol into the holster that hung at her hip and exhaled greatly. Tears of seething defeat welled in her eyes; she tucked her chin down into her collarbone and hid her face behind her hat. She swallowed hard at the lump in her throat. "I can't do this."

"Yes, you can." Landon took several thoughtful inhales of his cigarette and studied her slouched stance through the clouds of smoke he released afterwards. "You know what your problem is? You're just like me when I was your age. You're too hot-headed. You've got to get past that if you wanna be any good with a gun. You're over-thinking things when it should all stay simple. Focus, aim, and shoot. That's all there is to it."

She sighed again and stared down at her boots.

"Here," the old man said as he set the bottle down and stood up out of his seat. He trudged up to her and put the cigarette in his mouth as he came to stand behind and slightly off to her right side. "Quit feeling sorry for yourself and lift that chin up. C'mon, bring up that gun."

With lackluster, Maddie drew her gun and held it up.

The grand master clasped his hand over the students' and helped bring up the gun further, correcting her and holding it steady. "Now, when you shoot, don't lock your elbow. You'll wanna have a little give to it, but don't stand there with a limp arm. Be ready for that recoil, or else you're gonna end up knocking yourself out. When you shoot, squeeze the trigger, don't pull it." He took his hand off hers only to place it comfortingly on her shoulder. "And relax. You're tense as hell, you're getting mad, and it's affecting how you shoot." He took a step back and beckoned with a small wave of his hand. "Let me see you put your anger to good use and shoot straight for once. Focus, aim, and shoot. That's all there is to it."

She could feel his eyes on her as she blinked away the tears and looked down the barrel of the pistol. Her index finger hugged the trigger as she aimed at the bottle twenty yards away. She gripped the gun tightly and steadied her aim; she swallowed and blinked in rapid succession. " _Para Mam_ _á_ ," she whispered and pulled the trigger.

As if in glorious answer to her heartfelt proclamation, the bottle shattered brilliantly into a thousand shards. She felt Landon's warm, calloused hand on her shoulder.

" _Muy bien, mi niña_."

For the first time that day, she smiled and felt pride blossom in her chest. The tears dissipated as she aimed her sights on the next bottle in line.

"Steady that arm, Maddie. Keep your back straight. Now, take a deep breath."

She inhaled deeply through her nose.

"Good. Now, squeeze the trigger when you breathe out."

She exhaled as she pulled the trigger. She let out an elated cry as the second bottle shattered like the first.

Landon clapped his hand on her shoulder, jostling her slightly. "There you go, girl! Keep doing that. Move onto the next one."

Just like the first two, the third exploded into tiny shards.

"Yes! That's what I like to see!"

Her confidence grew with every bottle; as she aimed her sights on the last one, she smiled. She inhaled deeply one last time, and as she exhaled, she squeezed the trigger and watched the last bottle explode. Disbelief ebbed through her as she turned and looked back at her teacher.

"You see, _mi niña_? All it takes is just those simple steps. Focus, aim, and shoot. That's all there is to it."

She was too stunned to respond as she smiled up at him. After just one day of training, progress had been made, and she finally felt at home in her new accoutrements. The duster her teacher had bought her finally felt comfortable to wear, even though it was a little too big and heavy for her petite frame. The Stetson fit her head perfectly, making her less vulnerable to the sun's rays and completing the fierce look she was searching for. The semi-automatic pistol was a far greater firearm than her old revolver—it was more powerful, faster to fire and reload, and held more ammunition. As she holstered her pistol, she looked back at the shattered glass strewn about the crates. She beamed at the glorious mess she'd made.

"I think it's time we celebrated, don't you agree?" Landon suggested as he turned and headed back to his make-shift bar. He sat down on one of the crates and picked up the shot glass. He threw back the tequila without a cough or sputter. As Maddie sat on a crate across from him, he said, "And you thought you couldn't shoot…"

The fifteen-year-old girl scoffed and rolled her eyes, ashamed for having jumped to such conclusions about herself in such a short amount of time. "How soon do you think I'll be ready?"

"For what?"

"To take on outlaws."

Landon chortled and held up a hand. "Hold your horses, Miss Ross. You've got a long way to go before you can even consider doing that. Besides, I'm gonna make certain that never happens to you. There's no sense in looking for trouble when it's damn near everywhere in Mexico. Remember the horse thief last night?"

She nodded as she recalled the downtrodden Mexican man that tried to steal a grey mare from the corral. Were it not for Landon's swift draw, the man would've gotten away. "I should've been the one to do him in," she grumbled.

"Again, don't be in such a hurry to go looking for trouble. _I'll_ be the one taking care for this town, _not_ you."

"But you're just one man, Ricketts. You can't possibly be in two places at the same time. Think about all the crime that happens outside Chuparosa. What about all the outlaws out here?"

He pointed at her with the cigarette. "Don't you be worried about what goes on outside these walls. I don't want to see you taking charge. You leave that up to me, you understand?"

She frowned and furrowed her brow at him.

" _Understand?_ "

"Yeah, I hear ya."

"Good," he said and returned the cigarette to his mouth. He took a long drag as he looked out across the beautiful landscape; he released the smoke as he exhaled, created a billowing white cloud that drifted up from his mustache and over the brim of his grey hat.

Maddie sat watching him, mesmerized. Curiosity beckoned her to pose the question she'd been yearning to ask, but she couldn't find her voice. Frowning, she looked down at her hands as she clasped them together on her lap.

"It's a bad habit to get into, Miss Ross. It's unbecoming for a young lady such as yourself."

She blinked and looked up at him.

"I suppose now you want me to teach you how to smoke, too, huh?"

"I'm… I'm just curious is all…"

He shot her an admonishing look. "Young ladies don't smoke."

"Neither do they know how to shoot a gun."

Her teacher snorted through his nose and smirked down at her. "One thing at a time, Miss Ross."

She pointed at the bottle he held in his hand. "How about some tequila?"

"No. Young ladies—"

"Don't drink, yes, I know. But I'm Maddie Ross, damn it." She beckoned for the bottle. "Now hand it over that bottle, mister."

"The hell I am!" he proclaimed as he held it away from her. "I don't care who you think you are, you're not getting a drink."

She threw him a nasty scowl. "You're an ass, Mister Ricketts."

"And you're a brat, Miss Ross." He nodded to her pistol and suggested, "Why don't you reload your gun, eh? I'll go get some more empty bottles for you: you're gonna need as much practice as you can get if you want to get good."

She rolled her eyes as she removed the empty magazine from the butt of the pistol and reloaded it. Once it was full, she jammed it back into the handle and pulled the toggle up. She looked him square in the eye and stated, "One way or another, I'm gonna find out what it's like."

He scoffed as he stood up out of his seat. "Well see, Miss Ross." He kept the tequila in his right hand so she wouldn't be tempted, turned, and headed into town to the _cantina_. Two minutes later, he came back with his arms full of empty bottles. He passed his pupil and set them up where the previous ones stood. Once he was done, he turned and headed back to the crates and took a seat. He gestured to the targets with the cigarette.

"Well, what are you waiting for, girl? Get back to it."

She stood up and walked over to her previous spot.

"This time, I want you to practice drawing and firing your gun. We're gonna work on your speed and accuracy and go from there."

An adventurous smile flashed across her face as she looked back at him over her shoulder. "So you're gonna teach me how to duel, huh? Hell, who knows, I could turn out to be faster than you, Ricketts."

"We'll see about that." He nodded to the bottles. "Whenever you're ready."

She turned and faced her targets. Just as before, she breathed in deeply as she narrowed her sights on the first bottle. Her hand hovered over the butt of her pistol.

"Draw!" Landon shouted.

She glanced down to make sure she didn't miss grabbing her gun. Once she had a hold of it, she raised it and fired. The bullet was nowhere near her target.

"Again, Miss Ross. Don't just draw and fire—you gotta have your sights aimed at your target at all times. Let me see you draw a couple times, just to get the feel of it. Don't fire, though."

Grumbling under her breath, she holstered her weapon and stood at the ready, her knees slightly bent and her right hand once again hovered over her gun.

"Draw!"

She fumbled less the second time.

Landon nodded in approval. "Not bad. Still have a lot of work to do, though. Do that five more times. And try to draw faster with each one, alright?"

She nodded. Her brow furrowed as she thought, _Come hell or high water, I'm gonna be the best damn lady gunslinger there ever was._

"Draw!"

The second she heard his command, she reached for her gun and threw it up, causing her arm to jerk up more than she intended. Once she got her arm back under control, she pointed her pistol at her target.

"That's a little better, but you almost lost your gun. Keep your arm under control; don't just throw it up, draw it with precision. Make it as smooth of a draw as you can."

Little by little, she improved, though she knew she was nowhere near the level of skill she yearned to be at. Still, she was making progress, and she couldn't have asked for anything more than that for her first day training. By dinnertime, Maddie's right arm was throbbing. _Guess nothin' worth having comes easy_ , she thought as she and Landon walked back into town for afternoon meal and a remedy for her sore arm.

* * *

"So, tell me one more time what that means," Maddie said that afternoon as she, Landon, and most of Chuparosa's citizens ate and drank at the _cantina_.

" _'Buenos d_ _í_ _as_ ' means 'good morning', _'Buenos tardes_ ' means 'good afternoon', and _'buenos noches_ ' means 'good evening' or 'good night'. Now say them back to me."

She somewhat struggled with the pronunciation of the three greetings, but she recited them nonetheless.

"Do you remember how to say your name to someone?"

She paused in enjoying her enchilada to think. "Umm… _Me llamo Maddie_."

" _Bien_. What else do you remember from yesterday?"

She wracked her brain, trying to recall all the phrases he taught her the other day.

"Let me ask you this: _¿_ _De donde eres?_ "

"I-er, I mean… _Yo soy de Blackwater_."

He nodded in approval. "You have a good memory, _señorita_. How about this: _¿_ _Como estas?_ "

"Right now, I'm—damn it, I mean… _Muy bien_."

"Now you're catching on. The faster you learn all this, the better it'll be for you here in Mexico. There are some here who can speak English, _pero_ , they'd much prefer _hablar en Español_." He pointed to her with his fork and added, "And you need to work on your accent—you sound too much like a _gringa_."

Maddie blinked. "A what?"

"It's what the natives call a foreigner. You're culturally unaware, and you're from a different country, _mi niña_ , so most people won't take too kindly to you living here in their country."

She scoffed. "That's stupid."

"Look at it this way: what if they were to come to your country? Would you care if they couldn't speak to you in your language? Would you be accepting of them to come across the border without any idea of how things go there?"

She shrugged. "I suppose not."

"There you go."

"I still don't know why you came down here, of all places. These people think you're a saint, and you're an American. That doesn't make much sense."

"I've been here for quite a while now. It just takes time, Maddie. You'll become acclimated in no time, so long as you keep trying to learn everything there is to know about Mexico and its people."

She sighed. There was so much for her to learn. She poked at her enchilada with her fork. " _Es imposible, señor_." When he didn't respond, she looked up at him and noticed a proud twinkle in his eyes. "What?"

"You just spoke in Spanish, Maddie," he responded with a wide grin. " _Es muy posible, mi niña_."

* * *

"You still haven't held up your end of the deal, Miss Ross," Landon reminded her the next day. Once again, he was sitting on the crates and watching her target practice outside the walls of Chuparosa. A cigarette sat between his index finger and thumb; it spat up a blue tendril of smoke that swirled and coiled about in the air adjacent to his scruffy old face.

Maddie flicked her long hair over her shoulder as she glanced back at him. Her pistol hovered in the air before her, the barrel smoking: she had just drawn, fired, and decimated a bottle thirty yards in front of her. She cocked an eyebrow at him and asked, "What do you mean, Ricketts?"

"You haven't told me your story," he clarified as he brought the cigarette up to his mouth. His grey eyes sparkled as he flashed his eyebrows at her.

The young girl's countenance darkened. "Like hell I didn't. I already did." She returned her attention back to target practicing.

"Not your _whole_ story, _niña_ ," he said before taking a long drag off his cigarette. He let the smoke roll out of his mouth. "Something tells me you kept some things out."

Maddie turned and faced him. "What business is it of yours to know everything about me, Landon? I barely know you, for fuck's sake."

"Language, Miss Ross! Ladies don't cuss."

"Oh, _enough_ with that _lady bullshit!"_ She stormed up to him, her hair and duster billowing angrily behind her, and rested her hands on her hips as she came to stand before him. "I've _had_ it with you tryin' to make me a lady and stickin' your nose in places where it shouldn't! What makes you think you've gotta know everything about me? What makes you think I wanna be like other girls? My father tried pushin' that nonsense on me, and so did my goddamned step-mother, but you know what? I said to hell with that! Like Mama always said, 'Bein' a lady means bein' domesticated'." She pointed vindictively down at him with a visage that could make any man cringe. "Well, I ain't gonna be a domesticated lady, mister, so long as I'm alive and breathin'! I'm not some wild horse you can and expect to break—I don't intend on tamin' so easily, Landon, and you can be damn sure I'll _never_ be! So STOP tryin' to make into a proper lady, and mind your own business!"

Landon sat looking at her for a long, silent minute. A flicker of empathy and admiration appeared in his grey eyes. A corner of his bushy mustache rose and sat crooked atop his mouth as he smirked. "So _that's_ why you left: you didn't want to be in chains, so you broke them and ran."

"You're _damn right_ I did! Mama couldn't escape, but I sure as hell made sure I did."

"I take it your parents' marriage wasn't the greatest."

Maddie scoffed and rolled her eyes. She folded her arms across her chest and scowled off to the side as she answered, "It was a disaster from the beginning. Mama was a mail-order bride from Ireland, and even though she grew to love my pa, she couldn't stand being a housewife in a new country. She missed her home, and her family, but she couldn't go back. So, when she had me, she showed me I could do whatever the hell I want; what she couldn't do, she taught me." For once in her life, she was too angry to cry as she continued, "She died in front of me defending me and the farm from outlaws—the bastards shot her down. Father drowned his sorrows in whiskey after that. I had to take care of him and the farm as well. He got better over time, but then he met…someone else, and became engaged shortly after that." Her upper lip curled in disgust. "I took off on the eve of their wedding, and I haven't looked back since. I've got my own life to live now, and my father's got his."

Landon regarded her with a myriad of emotions and a hard countenance for a long moment before he leaned forward in his seat and pointed at her with his cigarette. "Let's get one thing straight, little miss: I'm not here to insult you or get you all hot and bothered. You're right: it's not my business getting into yours. But you know what? You don't have anyone around you to tell you what's right or wrong; you've got no one to give you a good sense of direction in your life. I think it's very important for you to have that, especially at your age. The reason why I'm telling you to watch your language and remind you to have some sort of manners and decency is because I believe you should still have those values even if you're a runaway. Whether you like it or not, I'm trying to keep you straight—you're right at the precipice, girl, and if I let you go off on your own all hot-headed and disrespectful and down-right ignorant, you'll be dead in a day."

"Bullshit," Maddie spat as she looked back at him. "I don't need another man tellin' me what I can or can't do."

"Watch what you say to me, Maddie. I may not be your father, but I can sure as hell enforce some discipline on you. Have respect for your elders, kid, or else I'll _teach_ you to have some respect."

Maddie stared at the ground between her and Landon's boots.

"Look, kid, I understand you want to be a strong, independent gal, but the way you're going about it will get you killed. Though I don't outright want to, I am teaching you how to be as great of a gunslinger as you so desire. But you must understand something, Miss Ross: if you don't respect me and trust me, then you're not gonna get anywhere. So, if I ask you to tell me your whole story, you better damn well tell me the whole story. If I ask you to your pistol and fire at a target, you raise your pistol and fire at a target. If I ask you to do anything, you'd better do it, by God. So, do we have an understanding?"

She nodded curtly.

"Good." He gestured to the row of bottles behind her with a nod. "Now get back to it. I want to see some improvement today, understand? I want to see you draw faster and aim better."

The insults sat brewing and burning in her esophagus, but she dared not open her mouth and let them escape. Instead, she turned her attention back to the next bottle in line. She inhaled deeply through her nose, and as she exhaled through her mouth, she drew, aimed, and fired. The bottle exploded.

Behind her, Landon said softly, "Very good, _niña_. That's a start."


	3. Chapter 3: Assimilation

The days came and went swiftly. Before she knew it, Maddie had been in Chuparosa for a little over a month. Her training was ever on-going—her days consisted of target practice, mounted shooting, and learning Spanish. One by one, she became familiar with the locals, and while she wasn't yet accepted by them, it was still a pleasure knowing she was making a wonderful impression with her willingness to learn their language and converse with them in their tongue, even if she stumbled often and spoke in broken Spanish. Landon, the ever-present teacher and paternal figure, corrected her and translated for her whenever necessary. It didn't take long for Maddie to become fond of her new home; her new start in life was just as bright and hopeful as she hoped it would be when she left the farm outside Blackwater. Not once did she think back on her old life; she was far too busy learning the ways of Mexico and its people to give a damn about the way her life used to be. Living in a different country was what she needed now, not to linger in the past and sulk.

However, in all the hours spent shooting, horseback riding, and learning to be bilingual, there was still something missing. A piece of the puzzle in her new life had yet to be found and linked. In the six weeks she'd made residence in Chuparosa, not once did she venture out of town—the farthest from town she'd ever been was only fifty feet or so, just outside the walls to target practice and ride her horse. The wilderness beyond the horizon called to her sweetly, beckoning her to come and explore what lay beyond her sight. As much as she enjoyed honing her newfound skills, she grew restless and impatient. The itch to ride on ate away at her like a parasite. When she could stand it no longer, she called upon her courage and voiced her desires to her mentor.

On a crisp morning, she rose from her bed in the room she'd been staying in the _cantina_ , and as she dressed, she decided to speak to Landon on the subject that ate away at her. As usual, she met her wise teacher in the _cantina_ for breakfast and coffee; she ate in silence while the old man made small talk with the locals. When she was finished, she rushed to the livery and saddled her horse. As was their routine, Maddie rode outside of town and met with Landon at their usual shooting range. Like so many times before, Landon collected empty bottles from the cantina, as well as burlap sacks which he then filled with sand. For an hour, Maddie rode her filly around in a pattern in a fast canter while shooting down the targets with the Henry repeater Landon had given her.

When Gypsy began to pant and drip with sweat, Maddie pulled her to a stop beside the water trough by the wall of Chuparosa. She slipped off her horse's back with practiced grace, and she turned and left her horse to drink her fill and catch her breath. The teenage girl slung the repeater over her back as she walked up to Landon, who was sitting at his usual spot with a cigarette in his right hand.

Landon looked at her as she sat down on a crate beside him. "Taking a break, huh?"

She nodded. "Gypsy needs it, that's for sure."

The old man nodded as well as he brought the cigarette to his lips.

Maddie looked out at the desert, biting her lip as she debated how best to approach the subject. She jerked her head towards the west and asked, "So…what's in that direction, Mister Ricketts?"

"Nothing but sand and desert like everywhere else, _mi niña_ ," he replied as he exhaled the smoke. His grey eyes rested upon her with a knowing glint. Beneath his mustache, his lips twitched into a smirk.

"Well, no shit, smartass," she chortled with a roll of her eyes. "I meant, what lies beyond that? Are there any towns out there?"

He brought the cigarette back up to his lips and inhaled slowly, methodically.

"C'mon, Mister Ricketts. What's out there?"

"There's a couple towns, but most of what you'll find is hot desert, hungry wolves, and wild horses. Besides that, not much else, kid."

"A couple towns, eh? What are they called?"

"Escalera and Nosalida."

"Are they big towns?"

"Just Escalera—it's where the President lives, in his palace enjoying the high life while the rest of the town lives in squalor."

She blinked, surprised to hear bitterness enter his voice. _"¿Por que?"_

"Because the president is a tyrant."

" _Ah, ya veo_." She let her words float in the silence between them for a second. " _Mi maestro,_ _tengo una pregunta."_

" _¿Sí?_ _¿Qué es?"_

She had some difficulty figuring out how to translate the question, so she asked in English, "When do you think we can go out of town? I've been in Chuparosa for a month now, and I haven't even seen the rest of Mexico."

"Don't be so hasty to get into trouble, _niña_. You're not quite ready for that."

" _¿Por qué no?_ I'm a good shot, Mister Ricketts, and I can ride."

"True, but you don't know the _first thing_ about living in the harsh desert. This land is dangerous, especially for a young lady. There's wolves, rattlesnakes, and most of all, _banditos_. _"_

Maddie raised her chin. "I'm not afraid of anything."

"We shall see about that."

She sighed through her nose and pursed her lips at him. "That's it, Ricketts! Tell me why I can't—"

"You're not going anywhere, _niña_ , not until I say you can! You know nothing of the dangers out there, and you will not know of them until the time comes when I am certain you can. _¿Entiendes?_ "

" _Pero—"_

" _¡No! ¡No más!"_ He pointed to her horse grazing ten yards away from the water trough. "Now, get back to it, Maddie. You're gonna need a _hell_ of a lot more practice before you can even _think_ about going out there."

The young girl's eyebrows narrowed as she stood up off the crate. "You are not my father; you cannot keep me here."

Landon stood up as well. He towered over her by a good two feet, and in his shadow, she was no more than a small child to him in need of discipline. His voice rumbled with anger as he responded, "I may not be your father, but I'm still more than capable of putting you in your place, girl." He nodded to her horse. "Now get back to it."

For a long moment, the two stared each other down…until Maddie sighed and bowed out. She glanced at the desert before spinning around on her heel and stomping over to her horse. She shoved her left boot into the stirrup, grasped the horn and cantle, and leapt up into the saddle. Gypsy side-stepped as her rider took her seat and gathered the reins in her left hand. She reined her filly around and spurred her into a gallop.

The anger and resolve to prove him wrong fueled her. Her sights zeroed in on a burlap sack hanging from a tree. As Gypsy sprinted toward it, she drew her pistol, aimed, and fired two rounds, one at the rope that held it suspended in the air, the other at the center of the target painted on the sack. As the sack fell to the ground and the sand gushed out of the bullet hole like a bleeding wound, she pulled Gypsy to a sliding stop and reined her back around to face Landon.

"That good enough for ya?"

The old man sat atop the crate looking rather unimpressed. The cigarette he held in his right hand spat up a blue tendril of smoke as he held it aloft.

"What, you don't have any snarky things to say to me?" she demanded as she trotted her horse up to him.

A smirk broke his impassive countenance. "You've finally found a good use for your anger."

" _¡Cállate, imbécil!"_ she griped and holstered her pistol. Beneath her, Gypsy blew loudly and shook herself, jostling her rider.

"So, is that what it takes to make you a better shot? Do I just need to piss you off to make you better?"

" _¡Pare, viejo!"_

The old man chuckled deep in his throat. He took a long drag off his cigarette, observing her from his wooden throne. His chuckle turned to snickering the longer he stared up at her scrunched visage.

"And just what the hell's so funny, Ricketts?"

"Your anger is very amusing to me."

"Just you wait and see, Landon! You won't be laughin' much longer after I've surpassed you!"

He slapped his knee as he erupted into pearls of laughter.

She opened her mouth to shout expletives down at him, but her curses faltered halfway up her throat at the sound of angry shouting. She looked up and stared in the direction of the commotion. Hasty hoof beats and the snorting of a frightened horse came to her ears, followed by a man cursing rapidly in Spanish. A spooked grullo gelding came streaking through the archway of town and galloped on down the road, carrying a man that neither Maddie or Landon recognized.

" _¡BASTARDO! ¡LADRÓN! ¡VOLVER AQUÍ CON MI CABALLO! ¡VOLVER AQUÍ, HIJO DE PUTA!"_

Three seconds later, a local man, Alejandro Hernandez, chased after the horse thief, letting out a string of curses and shaking his fist at the man. The man stumbled to a stop and stood panting and staring after his horse. Abruptly, he looked at her and Landon. He rushed up to them, pleading, _"¡Por favor, señor Ricketts, ayúdame! ¡Robó mi caballo!"_

It didn't take her no more than a second for Maddie to rein Gypsy toward the road and spur her into a gallop. The wind whistled in her ears and deafened Landon's angry shouting as her horse sprinted down the road in hot pursuit of the horse thief. In no time at all, Gypsy flew by Ojo del Diablo and was gaining ground on the grullo and his unwanted rider.

It was then that Maddie realized just exactly what she was doing. Panic momentarily overpowered the adrenaline that coursed through her petite frame, and as she stared at the horse thief's back, she felt icy dread wash over her heart. _What in the hell am I doing?_ she thought.

She didn't have time to access the severity of her impulsive decision as Gypsy narrowed the distance between her and the grullo. It was now or never; there was only one thing she had to do right then and there, and that was to…

 _Focus, aim, and shoot._

The adrenaline returned. All traces of panic were washed away and replaced with the resolve to right the wrong. Maddie drew her pistol, aimed at the center of the horse thief's back, and squeezed the trigger.

With a scream of excruciation, the man tumbled out of the saddle. Now free from the thief's control, the grullo slowed to a canter and veered off the road into the desert brush. Maddie reined Gypsy after the horse while simultaneously holstering her pistol. As Gypsy loped abreast of the gelding, Maddie reached over and grabbed the reins that fluttered beside the saddle horn. The second her left hand grasped the reins, she pulled both horses to a stop.

"Whoa, now!" she ordered. "Easy, you two! Whoa!"

Blowing and panting, the horses came to a standstill. The whites of the grullo's eyes shown plainly. Foam accumulated around his neck, barrel, and mouth.

"Easy, boy. It's all right."

She let the horses catch their breath and calm down for a couple minutes, and as she waited, she sat in the saddle bewildered at herself. _Did I just do that?_ Like the grullo, she panted and stared off into space with bulging eyes.

It wasn't long until a certain angry old man came galloping up to her on his paint mare. The horse tossed her head and snorted as Landon jerked back on the reins, forcing her to skitter to a stop before Maddie and the two panting horses.

"And just what in the HELL was that all about? You could've gotten yourself killed, you damn foolish girl! Christ above, if I was your pa, I'd be _lashing_ that behind of yours 'til it was _bleeding_ right now! _What did I just get done telling you, Madeline Anne Ross?!_ " He paused in his tirade to glare at her and take a breath. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?"

A surprised smirk burst across her mouth as she looked at him in the eyes. "I guess I _am_ ready, Mister Ricketts."

He sat atop his panting paint speechless and slack-jawed at her for the first time.

" _Now_ can I go outside of Chuparosa?" Maddie asked as she glanced over at her mentor. Teacher and apprentice rode abreast of each other down the road back to town; the grullo had calmed and was now walking beside Gypsy. Landon sat silent atop his ambling horse, staring straight ahead with an expression Maddie couldn't quite make out.

" _¿Señor Ricketts?"_

He blinked and met gazes with her. _"¿Si?"_

"So…what do you think?"

"About what?"

"Can I go out of town now?"

He scoffed and gestured to the world around them. "Look where you are, _idiota_. This _IS_ outside of town."

She rolled her eyes. "No shit, old man. I meant, have I now proven myself to you so that I can go outside of town from now on?"

His gaze darkened. "You can when I say you can, and you certainly haven't proven yourself to me."

Her jaw dropped. "I think I've proven I'm _more_ than capable of handling myself outside of town!"

"You chased after a horse from town, nothing more. You shouldn't be doing such reckless things, Madeline. You took off without my say-so. You could've gotten yourself killed today. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, since it didn't sink into that hot head of yours: you're not to interfere with crime in town—you leave that to _me_. _¿Comprende?"_

"That is such—"

" _¡¿Comprende?!"_

She glowered at him as she pulled back on the reins. Gypsy and the grullo gelding stopped immediately. "That is just _stupid_ and _unfair_!" She gestured to the grullo. "I just saved this horse from that thief! It's because of my quick decision that this horse will be returned to his rightful owner. I'd say I did the right thing! Besides, I was already on Gypsy. It would've taken you longer to get to your horse, mount up, and chase after that guy. By that time, he would've gotten away."

Landon turned his mare around to face her. " _¡Basta! ¡Ya no es importante!"_

" _Pero—"_

" _¡SILENCIO!"_

She glared at the old man, who shot back the same expression. _I did the right thing_ , she thought as she tucked her chin down into the collar of her shirt.

" _Bien_ ," Landon said and reined his mare back around. " _Ven conmigo."_ He nudged his mount into a trot towards town.

With a noncommittal grunt, Maddie urged her filly to follow.

Just as she suspected, the grullo's owner stood waiting by the entrance. The moment he saw them riding up with his horse in tow, Alejandro's worried countenance brightened into a wide smile.

" _¡Gracias, señorita!"_ he said as he came up to them. _"¡Muchos gracias!"_

Maddie returned the smile as she pulled the horses to a stop and handed the man the reins of his mount. _"De nada, señor."_ She didn't have to turn her head to know that Landon was watching with a troubled frown.

The man dug deep into his trouser pockets and bequeathed to her a handful of dollar bills. " _Por favor, tome este dinero. Yo no tengo mucho, pero por favor tome esto como una señal de mi gratitud."_

Maddie blinked in rapid succession as he shoved the money into her hand. She looked at Landon.

"He says to take the money as a token of his gratitude," the old man translated. He nodded down at the money. "Go ahead and take it, Maddie. You'll insult him if you don't."

She looked back down at the man and blushed as she murmured, _"Muchos gracias, señor."_

" _No, muchos gracias USTED, señorita. Es por t_ _í_ _que todav_ _í_ _a tengo un caballo."_ He mounted his horse and beckoned her to follow. " _Ven conmigo, por favor."_ With that, he trotted his horse to the _cantina_.

They hitched their horses in front of the _cantina_ and followed the man inside straight to the bar. Alejandro turned to her and clapped a large hand on her shoulder. He beamed down at her and said, " _Quiero darles las gracias por su amabilidad. ¡Eres una chica maravillosa!"_

Maddie smirked up at him with embarrassment. She glanced over at Landon expectantly.

"He wants to thank you again, Maddie," he translated. "He thinks you're marvelous."

The young girl's face flushed; she bowed her head and hid behind her hat. " _Gracias, señor. Son muy amables."_

Alejandro seemed pleased and surprised at her attempts to speak to him in his language. _"Si se me permite, señorita, me gustaría comprar una bebida."_

Maddie looked back up at her mentor and blinked when she saw his eyes bulge and his eyebrows raise. "What did he say?"

"He wants to buy you a drink." He looked Alejandro sternly in the eyes. " _Ella is muy joven."_

Alejandro blinked. _"¿Qué edad tiene ella?"_

" _Ella tiene quince años."_

" _¿Quince años? ¡Bah! ¡Entonces ella es mayor de edad para beber!"_ He turned and leaned against the bar as he waved the bartender over.

" _¿Si, señor?"_ the bartender asked.

" _Tequila para mi amiga, por favor."_

The bartender nodded and retrieved a bottle and a shot glass from behind the counter. As they watched the man pour her the drink, Landon grumbled, "Well, Maddie, it looks like you're gonna try alcohol after all."

Excitement bubbled within the young girl's stomach as she watched the golden liquid fill to the brim of the glass. The tequila gleamed with mystical power, gripping her attention fully.

" _¿Así?"_ Alejandro asked. He beckoned to the shot. _"¡Beber!"_

Maddie glanced at Landon, who stood on the other side of her.

With a sigh and a nod of defeat, the old man uttered, "Go ahead, _niña_. You are of age here in Mexico—you are a woman in their eyes. _Beber_."

She threw back the shot. The tequila trickled down her throat and splashed into her stomach. Victoriously, she sat the empty glass down on the counter and exhaled, blinking at the potency of the drink.

"That…wasn't too bad."

" _Es bueno, ¿no?"_ Alejandro asked, flashing her a smile.

She nodded and coughed slightly. " _S-Si, es…muy bien."_

He smirked as he looked back at the bartender and gestured to the empty shot glass. " _Otro, señor."_

Landon held up a hand. " _Un momento."_

"What's the big deal, Ricketts?" Maddie asked. "That wasn't so bad."

"You say that now. Just you wait."

She blinked. "For what?"

"For when you're bent over throwing it back up. _Tranquilo_ , _niña_."

The young girl scoffed and waved his admonition aside. " _No es nada, Landon. Estoy bien_." She looked at the bartender and nodded down to the empty shot glass. _"Otra, por favor."_

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

The room was spinning in no time at all. Maddie didn't remember much, except for stumbling around, giggling, and then suffering the horrible after-effect of being intoxicated for the first time. Somehow, she found herself outside the _cantina_ bent over with her hands on her knees and her hair hanging down to the ground as her stomach purged itself. In between heaves, she realized her hair had been pulled back and a large, wrinkly hand had come to settle on her shoulder, holding her up from collapsing into her own vomit.

Landon's gruff voice came drifting to her ears. "Goddamn it, Maddie. I _told_ you to pace yourself."

She swayed upon unsteady legs; she panted from the sudden shock and exertion of vomiting.

"Come on," Landon coaxed as he helped her straighten back up. He wrapped one arm around her waist while taking her right arm and slinging it over his shoulders. "Let's get you out of the street and into bed."

The next thing she knew, she was sitting atop her bed in her room at the _alcalde_. She was slumped over with her head hanging between her legs and her hair tumbling to the floor; a moment later, a bucket was scooted underneath her, and Landon sat her back up and pulled her hair back tenderly.

"You doing all right, Maddie?" he asked as he sat beside her.

Breathing heavily, she looked up at him and blinked several times, trying to get her eyes to focus. Her head wobbled. "'M…not doin' so…," she paused to hiccup loudly, "….so good."

He chuckled again and caressed her hair and shoulders with a warm, callused hand. "I know, _niña_. You'll be all right, though. You probably won't be feeling the greatest tomorrow, but you'll get better… _eventually_. Just rest." He reached back around him, grabbed her canteen, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her. "Here, drink some water."

Sloppily, she took several swigs. Water had never tasted so good to her until then as it soothed her raw throat. However, the second the water splashed into her stomach, her gut instantly rejected it, and she bent over and threw up into the bucket.

Landon sighed and caressed her back, holding her hair back all the while. "It's gonna be a long night for you."

* * *

It took Maddie two days to fully recover; she laid in bed, vomiting often in a bucket Landon had set by her bed and feeling worse than when she did while she was drunk. She was surprised that Landon had stayed with her some of the time, making sure she was well. When she was finally able to rise out of bed, bathe, and change into a clean set of clothes, she ventured outside. She was immediately met with laughter and many a jest from the locals. Blushing and hiding behind her hat, she walked away from the _cantina_ , only to sit on a bench outside the _alcalde_.

 _I'm never drinkin' again_ , she thought with a sigh. She ran a hand over her face; she was still blushing terribly. _My God, why did I drink that? I'm such a fool. I don't even remember that night._

She sat wrestling with her thoughts and self-pity for the longest time; her embarrassment never left her as she strained to remember what all she did, said, and how many shots of tequila she'd had before it all went to hell. She sat staring at the town and its citizens ambling around going about their business in the mid-day sun.

 _What must Landon think of me now?_ _And here I thought I was makin' progress by showin' him I can handle myself. Guess I'm back to provin' him wrong again._

As if on cue, her old mentor strolled out of the _cantina_. His head swiveled as he looked around for her, and when he spotted her, he walked over and sat down beside her. They shared a quick glance before Maddie looked away, shame-faced and embarrassed.

"You feeling all right, Miss Ross?"

"As well as I can be, I reckon." She ran a hand over her face and sighed. "I'm never drinkin' that again."

The old man chuckled. "Everyone says that, but it hardly ever holds true."

Maddie groaned and wrapped an arm around her stomach. "No. I'm not gonna touch another bottle of tequila or whiskey or whatever in my life."

Landon smirked down at her as he draped an arm over her shoulders. " _Vamos a ver, mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_." His smirk widened into an affectionate smile as she rested her head against him and closed her eyes. After a time, he looked out at the town, eyes glazed over in thought. He took out a cigarette from the inside pocket of his jacket, lit it with a match, and took several drags.

Maddie leaned out of his arm as the smoke drifted around them. She eyed the cigarette he held between his index finger and thumb. _I wonder…_ To test her theory, she lifted her hand and reached for it. She paused as Landon looked down and locked gazes with her.

"And just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm…um…"

Landon glanced at the cigarette he held aloft. He smirked, eyes twinkling. "Haven't you tried enough things for a while? What, you think you're grown up enough to smoke, too?"

"I was just curious is all…"

He took another drag off his smoke and exhaled heavily, creating a billowing cloud of smoke around his face and hat. He turned and looked her deep in the eyes. "Maddie, you're just _so damn young_. Why are you so tenacious? What drives you to believe you need to grow up quick, girl?"

Maddie dropped her hand back to her lap. "I wasn't given much of a chance to be a kid after Mama died—I had to take her place and help my father and our farm carry on without her. There's no time for such foolishness, not when you've got responsibilities." She paused to swallow down the lump in her throat; tears swam in her eyes. She hid her face behind her hair and hat as she uttered, "Landon, _I watched her die._ She stood up for her family when my father didn't. She stood in the face of death without fear." She swallowed again as she looked up at her mentor. She blinked away her tears and said, " _That's_ the kind of woman I wanna be."

"And so you shall be." The old man placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I worry about you, kid: you're stubborn, hot-headed, reckless, and inexperienced, but you got to learn to control your anger. I can teach you that, and more."

"You _have_ been teachin' me, Mister Ricketts. I've gotten much better at shootin', thanks to you. It's been a month, but I'm _so much_ better at handlin' a gun than ever."

"Yes, you have improved, but you've got a long road ahead of you if you want to be proficient with a gun. I don't have to tell you the world is a cruel place, and I suppose teaching a young girl like you to defend herself is wise, especially in this turbulent country."

"Well, what more can I do to get better? I've done everything you've asked me to—I can shoot and ride at the same time, can draw just as fast as anyone here in town… Hell, I'd say I'm ready for whatever life throws at me."

Landon gave her a dark look. "Be careful what you wish for, Maddie. Keep looking for it, and trouble will strike you down before you know it. It's not hard to find danger in Mexico, so just be cautious, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_."

"You keep sayin' that, Landon. What's goin' on in this country?"

The old man pursed his lips and raised the cigarette to his lips. He took his time taking a long drag off it before letting the smoke out in a white cloud.

"Landon…"

He met gazes with her. "Maddie, there's so much you don't understand."

"Then help me understand. Quit keepin' me in the dark."

"When the time comes, I'll tell you. Right now, I don't think you're in the greatest shape to hear what all I've seen and heard." She opened her mouth to object, but he raised his hand and silenced her. "In the meantime, you go back to your room and rest. It'll take some time for you to get back to your normal, stubborn self."

Maddie wearily rose to her feet. "And what will you be doin' while I sleep?"

"Keeping an eye out for this town, like always. Someone's gotta do it."

The young woman grunted as she turned and walked to her room. When she closed the door, she stripped off her duster, boots, and hat, and collapsed back into bed, almost immediately falling back to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Quickdraw

The smoke coiled upwards from the end of her pistol's barrel. The bottle a hundred yards away had exploded into a thousand green pieces, spraying across the white sand. Maddie smirked as she holstered her pistol and looked over her shoulder at the old man who sat observing her practice with a cigarette resting between his thin lips. The end of the smoke glowed as Landon took a drag and let the smoke billow out of his mouth.

"Am I gettin' faster?" Maddie asked as she turned and faced him.

Landon nodded and took another drag.

"So, what now? Did you set up another bottle farther away?"

His eyes sparkled. "I've got another kind of challenge for you today. Let's see how you with a moving target."

Maddie blinked. _"_ _¿_ _Que?"_

The legendary gunslinger rose to his feet, grunting slightly. He kept the smoke between his lips as he turned and grabbed another bottle from the dozens that sat clustered atop a crate besides him. "I'm gonna throw this bottle, and you're gonna shoot it in the air." He nodded at her. "Ready?"

Her hand hovered over the butt of her semi-automatic pistol; her eyes snagged on the bottle resting in Landon's wrinkled, callused hands. She was more than ready as Landon drew back his arm and threw the bottle high into the air. Maddie squinted in the bright morning sunlight as she aimed her sights on the target. The bottle hovered in the air for a split second before it began its hasty descend towards the earth; it shattered beautifully when Maddie drew, aimed, and fired. The remnants of the glass rained down onto the ground.

" _Muy bien_ ," Landon said as he turned and shuffled back to grab another bottle. Once again, he drew back his arm, glanced over at his pupil, and threw the bottle up, this time further away from her. Maddie didn't miss a beat as she drew and fired. Another bottle shattered. Five more bottles met their demolition, each one being destroyed a second faster than the last.

"I think I'm gettin' the hang of this," Maddie boasted with a smug smirk.

"Oh, you think so, huh? Think fast!"

He snatched up another and threw it straight at her. He barely had time to step to the side as Maddie shrieked and threw up her gun. She bellowed with anger as the bottle struck her in the chest. As it dropped to the ground, Maddie glared up at Landon. "What the hell?!"

The old man smiled. "That was another lesson you've yet to learn: never let guard down. And don't get too cocky, Maddie. Your hubris will be the end of you if you let it take over. Always be wary."

"You could've given me a goddamn warning!"

"A _criminale_ isn't gonna warn you when he's about to draw and shoot you dead. You've got to have your wits about you, girl, if you're gonna survive in this country. Things can take a turn for the worst in a split second, and I want you to be able to react in time to save yourself."

Her blood boiled in her veins; she glowered at the old man.

"Get angry at me if you want, but this is something you've got to learn, kid."

Maddie pursed her lips and holstered her pistol. She folded her arms across her chest. "You didn't need to throw it at me, Landon."

He guffawed. "Oh, quit feeling sorry for yourself, girl. You didn't get hurt." He grabbed another bottle and tossed it up into the air above Maddie.

"Shit!" she cried as she hastily uncrossed her arms and reached for her pistol. She drew her gun and fired just as the bottle dived straight for her forehead. Maddie held up an arm and ducked her head as the glass shards rained down. "Goddamn it, Landon! Are you tryin' to get me killed today?"

"I'm tryin' to knock some sense into that hot head of yours."

Before she could protest, he grabbed another bottle and threw it, this time straight in front of him. The bottle sailed through the air fifty feet away; the bullet Maddie hastily fired nicked the bottom, causing it to break into several thick chunks rather than obliterated into miniscule shards like she hoped. Maddie stood with her smoking gun at the ready, her knees slightly bent and her breath coming at angry heaves.

" _Bastardo_ ," she hissed.

Landon shot her a warning glare. "Watch your mouth, young lady. Don't even think about giving me sass. Keep in mind I'm helping you become a better shot."

"Well, how 'bout I throw some of those goddamn bottles at you? See how you like it?"

He smirked and gestured openly to the bottles. "Be my guest."

Maddie shoved her gun back into its holster and stormed over to the crate with the bottles. She snatched up a bottle, turned, and threw it straight at Landon's face. In a split second it took her to blink, the grand master had drawn his revolver, aimed, and fired, causing the bottle to explode between them. As he holstered his revolver, he smiled smugly at her.

"Is that all you've got?"

The corner of Maddie's lip curled up in growing detestation. She grabbed another bottle and drew back her arm. Landon stood at the ready, knees bent and his hand hovering over his gun. She smirked as she threw the bottle in the opposite direction, further away from Landon and higher up into the air. He'd drawn and fired so quickly that she flinched as the bottle detonated half-way up into the air. Over and over, she tried to best him, throwing bottles every which way, but after ten tries, she gave up with an angry howl and stood with her arms folded over her chest.

Landon laughed as he holstered his gun and walked towards her. "Looks like you're gonna have to try a hell of a lot harder to outwit me, _mi niña_."

"I'll get you yet, old man. Just you wait and see."

He chortled and grabbed her Stetson by the crown, shaking it and jostling her head about. " _Vamos a ver, señorita_."

Maddie smacked his hand away and straightened her hat on her head. She shoved him away as he attempted to embrace her, and she stormed off towards the entrance of Chuparosa. Landon followed, chuckling.

* * *

"You still haven't answered my question, Landon," Maddie reminded him later that afternoon over dinner. She looked up from her plate and stared expectedly at him.

The old man blinked and feigned confusion. "What are you talking about, Maddie?"

She gestured to the world outside, beyond the _cantina_ they sat in past the gates of Chuparosa. "What's goin' on out there? You keep tellin' me Mexico is dangerous, but you have yet to tell me why. You said you'd tell me when the times comes, when I wasn't…sick…" She shuddered as she recalled her horrendous hangover. Mentally pushing aside the memory, she looked her mentor in the eyes. "Tell me why you won't let me out of town."

Landon set his silverware down and sat staring at his half-eaten enchilada with an expression that reminded Maddie of the look her father got every time he was reminded of his wife's passing—he was struggling to voice his thoughts in a way that would make her understand without revealing too much. Landon turned his gaze upward and took a good, long sweep of the _cantina_. Men ate, drank, and conversed; the strong scent of tobacco and body odor hung over the room like a cloud. Over in the corner sat the usual cardplayers, one table playing Blackjack, the other Texas Hold 'em. He was silent for a long moment as he watched the goings-on around him before he finally turned his attention back to Maddie.

"You want the truth, Maddie?"

She nodded.

He frowned and deliberated a second longer before continuing, "There's a war raging past these walls. The government has been become tyrannical, and the people grow tired of the oppression. This country is very poor: while the rich thrive, the commoners grow more and more destitute, and the government doesn't do a damn thing about it, even though they've promised the people many great things. The gap between the classes is broad, so broad in fact that most of Mexico has become impoverished. Maddie, you have not seen the travesties I've seen, and I hope to God you never do. You don't want to see what the government is capable of, what it's responsible for."

The young girl leaned in closer, eyes ablaze with curiosity. "What have you seen?"

The old man adamantly shook his head.

"Landon, tell me."

"I've seen soldiers line up rebels on the side of the road and shoot them at point blank range; I've seen houses set aflame with the homeowners trapped inside; I've seen civilians murdered on the street in broad daylight. Such barbarism has been running rampant simply because the government feels the need to make an example of those who oppose them. There's a hell of a lot more that I've heard about, gossip and hearsay mostly, but it's enough to send a chill through even the toughest of men. Now… do you want to see any of that, much less be a part of it?"

Maddie shook her head, eyes glazed over in shock and her mouth agape.

Landon nodded as he picked up his silverware. "Now you know why I keep you here. Chuparosa hasn't been hit with the worst of the rebellion…yet…but I will see to it this town will not see such savagery, so long as I'm alive." He pointed to her with his fork. "And I'll be damned if I let anything happen to you."

Maddie picked up her silverware and returned to her plate of food. She and Landon ate in silence for a long time.

" _Mi niña_ , I understand why you're itching to leave this town, but believe me when I say this: curiosity will get you killed. It is not safe for a young girl such as yourself to be wandering around this country, especially all alone. I'm amazed you weren't ambushed or killed after you crossed the border."

"Let 'em try. They so much as look at me the wrong way and I'll shoot the sons of bitches in the balls."

"I admire your bravery, kid, but that's not gonna be enough to keep yourself safe. Threats don't do much to an army that doesn't care whether you live or die."

"Then what am I supposed to do, Landon? What do you want me to do? If can't leave this town, then what am I gonna do?"

Landon took a bite of his enchilada and chewed in thought. "You're gonna train to survive, Maddie. If there's anyone who needs to learn to defend herself, it's you: a woman without a gun living in a dangerous country will not last long. I'll teach you everything I know, and in time let you ride outside of town."

An elated smile burst upon Maddie's face. "Really?"

"But only if I'm with you. I don't want you going anywhere without me, you understand? And even if I decide to do this, you must swear to me you won't go off on your own. If we go anywhere, you'll do as I say; otherwise, you might get yourself killed. _¿_ _Comprende?_ "

Maddie frowned and glanced down at her plate. Sit bit down on her lip.

"You seem upset. _¿_ _Por que?_ "

"It's just… I didn't realize what the hell I was riding into when I left home." She looked up at Landon and chuckled nervously.

"Maybe so, Maddie, but you would still be just as terrible with a gun as you used to be before you met me."

She gave him a cross look. "Don't speak so damn highly of yourself, old man. Before you know it, I'll have surpassed you. Then we'll see who's laughin'."

" _Vamos a ver_."

" _De hecho_ ," she agreed and returned to her dinner.


	5. Chapter 5: Natural Selection

Maddie lifted the Henry repeater and pressed the butt of the firearm to her shoulder. She wiped away the droplets of sweat that trickled out from underneath her Stetson and down her forehead with the back of her hand. Amidst the head waves and bunches of prickly pears, a buck grazed absentmindedly at the sparse vegetation two hundred yards in front of her. The rock she and Landon hid behind proved sufficient for cover as she aimed her sights on the deer's vital spots.

"Take the shot, Maddie," Landon whispered behind her.

" _Cállate_ ," the young woman replied. " _Sé lo que estoy haciendo_." Maddie took another deep breath as she looked down the barrel and through the sights, aiming behind the buck's front legs as he turned broadside. She exhaled as she squeezed the trigger.

The buck flinched and leapt two feet into the air. When his hooves met the ground, he leapt forward. He took three bounds before his body failed him and he fell dead to the earth amidst a cluster of cactus and butterfly weed. A blood trail stained the sand, leading to his body, where it began to pool underneath him.

 _"¡Tiro perfecto!_ " Maddie boasted as she slung the repeater over her shoulder. She stood up from behind the rock, turned, and walked back to her horse, who stood fifty feet away with Landon's paint mare beside her. Maddie mounted her horse and gathered the reins in her hands just as Landon made his way to his mount. She waited for the old man to mount his horse before she reined Gypsy around and squeezed her heels to her horse's sides.

The duo rode side by side up to the buck and stopped before it. A puddle of blood collected around his body; his dark eyes were glazed over in a lifeless stare. Maddie dismounted and unsheathed her hunting knife as she knelt beside the deer.

"A clean kill," Landon said. " _Muy bien, señorita_."

"Like I've said before, Landon, I know what I'm doin'."

Maddie rolled the deer onto his back and splayed his legs. With her left hand, she pinched the skin near the genitals and slit the skin open, being careful to cut just under the hide. She cut around the deer's bladder before carefully slitting the hide up the buck's ribcage to his breastbone. With both hands, she peeled the skin away from the muscle. Once the skin and fur were away from the flesh, she rolled up her sleeves and cut through the layer of muscle layer, using the fingers of her free hand on the blade tip while pulling the muscle layer up and away from the organs. A rancid stench tainted the air, and Maddie grimaced as she pulled the organs out, using the knife to cut the connective tissue.

"Who taught you all of this?" Landon asked. "Your pa?"

Maddie nodded. She dug a hole beside her and placed the entrails inside. As she covered them up with sand, she said, "Pa taught me after Mama died. We used to go into Tall Trees. One time I took down a bull elk."

"Well, at least he taught you one thing right."

Maddie scoffed. " _Supongo que sí, señor_." She rolled the deer back onto his side, allowing the carcass to drain; the puddle of blood expanded further. She stood and stepped away from the buck and looked around her, taking in the endless sea of desert and blue sky. The world was bigger than she expected the day she and Landon saddled up and rode out of Chuparosa a month back; she had begged and pleaded with her mentor to show her what lay beyond Chuparosa's white walls. After mulling over it for several days, Landon acquiesced and took her across Perdido, showing her Las Hermanas, Sepulco, Barranca, Ojo del Dialblo, Campo Mirada, and the many other landmarks that made up the territory. It had been mostly uneventful: in the weeks they had traveled together, not once did she see anything remotely close to what Landon had warned her about. As far she could tell, Perdido was only populated with the wildlife of the region.

"So, what else did he teach you?"

Maddie turned and looked up at her mentor. She pursed her lips. "Well, he tried teaching me how to break horses, but…I didn't like his methods. They were…abusive, at best."

Landon cocked a bushy white brow. "How so?"

"Well, you know how it's done, the old-fashioned way where you tie up the horse's legs, throw a saddle and bridle on him, and then have some crazy son of a bitch hop on his back and buck him out until he stops. When I saw him do this to a couple of our colts, I outright whipped him the way he whipped those poor horses. I wasn't gonna have any of that."

"So how did you learn to break horses, then?"

Maddie wiped her hunting knife clean on the side of the buck's neck before sheathing it. "I studied them. I'd ride out across the plains until I spot a herd of wild horses. I would watch the horses for hours, trying to get a sense of how they moved and talked to one another, and eventually, I learned how herds worked in the wild, who was the boss and who wasn't. I watched stallions fight over mares. I watched mares bond and look after with their foals. Once I knew how horses talk to each other, I worked with the colts we had on the farm in the round pen. I earned their trust and respect, so that when the time came for their first saddle, they weren't as traumatized as they would've been with my father's methods. I've been using my way ever since I discovered a person doesn't need to beat the horse, doesn't need to break them."

Landon stared down at her, his blue eyes sparkling with interest. "Huh. You've gotta show me this "joining up" when we get back to Chuparosa."

A twinge of fear struck Maddie in the chest. "Which will be when?"

"Tomorrow."

"But… you said we'd ride across the rest of Mexico. You told me we were gonna see it all, the good and the bad."

The old man's gaze hardened. "What I said was I'd show all of Perdido, not all of Mexico, especially not around Punto Orgullo not where the tyrant himself lives."

Maddie balled her hands into fists by her sides and looked him hard in the eyes. "And what if I refuse?"

"You'll go with me whether you like it or not, little miss. It's too dangerous for you—"

"Like hell it is, Landon!" She pointed up at him. " _¡Eres un mentiroso!_ " She gestured to the world around them and spat, "Not once have I seen any of this so-called rebellion you've warned me about. No once! Your forebodings are all a fantasy, Ricketts! You've been makin' that shit up just to keep me in town, locked away like some goddamn princess in a fairy tale!" She sliced a hand through the air and declared, _"¡No soy una princesa! ¡Soy un pistolera! ¡Soy un jinete! ¡Soy Maddie Ross!"_

Landon sat atop his horse in troubled silence; his lip twitched underneath his mustache as he fought to speak declarations that proved her words false. His eyes iced over with outrage, bewilderment, and pride.

Maddie crossed her blood-stained arms and stared up at him, waiting for him to shoot her like he always did. She flashed her eyebrows and nodded to him. " _Entonces, ¿qué tienes que decir a eso?"_

The stare-down lasted for a long minute before Landon sighed and looked down at his hands atop the saddle horn. He shook his head and chuckled.

"And just what is so damn funny, Ricketts?"

He smirked as he looked back at her. "You, miss, are one hell of a handful, you know that? I don't think I've ever met anyone as sassy and stubborn as you."

"I'll take that as a compliment, _señor_."

Landon chortled and gestured to the behind her. "C'mon, let's get that deer and get out of here. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. Let's go further down the trail and set up camp. It'll get dark soon." He dismounted and helped Maddie carry the carcass to his horse; they hefted the deer overtop the horse's rump and tied it down with the saddle strings. Once they were done, they mounted up and loped further down the road towards Barranca.

* * *

"This buck should fetch a good price," Maddie said in between bites of the deer meat. "I bet I could get fifteen dollars for the antlers, ten for the hide." She sat cross-legged atop her bed roll and stared into the campfire she had started not long before dusk. Like always, Landon had her start the fire while he unsaddled the horses and made camp. They had finished skinning the deer and cooked the meat, saving some for later and eating the rest.

Across the fire, Landon sat eating his share. He nodded as he chewed. "It'll give you some money to live off for a while," he said. He smirked as he looked her over; his eyes sparkled with pride. "You know, you've been doing well roughing it out here in the wild… better than I expected you would."

Maddie scoffed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "What, you thought a girl couldn't make it out here? Pssh! It's not like I've never camped out under the stars before. Pa and I used to do it all the time, especially if we went out hunting and didn't get home before dark."

Landon was silent for a time as he ate. The crackling of the fire filled the void between master and student. Twenty feet away, one of the horses blew loudly.

"For hating him so much, you sure do talk a lot about your father."

Maddie stopped chewing and glared at him. Though her hat concealed most of her face and cast it in shadow, the snarl on her mouth could easily be seen from the illumination of the flames. "Mind your tongue, old man. You don't know what you're talking about."

He cocked a bushy eyebrow; a corner of his mustache rose into a smirk. "Oh, I don't, do I? And I suppose a fifteen-year-old girl knows more than I do?"

Maddie rose her chin, revealing a menacing glare from out of the shadows of her hat. "You haven't been in my boots, mister. You wouldn't know a damn thing about it."

" _Si, lo hago_."

She scoffed. " _¿Sabes? Dime_."

"I know you hate your father. It's not hard to see that. Anyone who's ever lost someone they've loved can see that. You hate your father because he betrayed you and your mother,"

Her gaze flickered to the fire. She bit her lip.

"I know why you ran away from home and sought solitude and freedom in Mexico," Landon said, his voice soft and heartfelt. "You suffer; I see it day by day. You miss your mother. I get it. But you are not the only one who is suffering."

She blinked and looked up at him.

"Your father is suffering as well. He lost his wife, and now he's lost his daughter. For all he knows, you could be dead right now."

"He won't find me. I've made certain of it."

"That's not the point, Maddie. You probably sent him over the edge running off like you did. How could you just abandon him?"

Her jaw dropped. " _Are you serious?_ He married a money-hungry widow and treated her better than he treated my mother! As far as I'm concerned, I didn't do a goddamn thing wrong for leavin'."

Landon looked her sternly in the eyes. "You've got to look at it in his perspective. Would you want to live the rest of your life alone?"

"Hell yes I would! If it means stayin' faithful, I would stay widowed 'til the end of my days."

The old man closed his eyes and shook his head. "You foolish girl. What do you know of marriage and faithfulness?"

Maddie sat up sharply. "What do _you_ know of it?"

He opened his eyes and stared her down. "I was married once. I know what it means to be faithful. Hell, I'm still faithful to her, even after all these years."

"Oh, yeah? Where is she then?"

He blinked. "Dead."

A hot wash of shame came over her. She covered her mouth with her hands and gasped. "Oh… oh my god, Landon… I'm so sorry!"

He shrugged. "You didn't know."

Her hard countenance softened to empathy. "But… why haven't you remarried, then?"

He scoffed and shook his head. "I'm too old. Nobody wants an old bat like me." He stared solemnly into the fire.

"How… how long has she… been gone?"

Landon waved a hand, dismissing her question. "It doesn't matter, Maddie." He looked her in the eyes once more. "What does matter is the you should forgive your father."

"Like that's gonna happen. He's hurt me too damn much."

"As I've said before, he's hurting, too. He lost his wife, your mother… That's not something you get over quickly. The pain doesn't end overnight—hell, it never truly stops hurting. You simply get better at with it or let it consume you. Don't be guilty of doing the latter, _mi niña_."

Maddie narrowed her eyebrows. "It hasn't consumed me, Landon."

"Like hell it hasn't. You're too full of anger. I can see it taking over you, girl, with each day that passes. Hell, I don't think I've met an angrier girl than you. You let it consume you, and before you know it, you'll be doing all sorts of transgressions."

She threw back her head and guffawed. "What, you think I'm gonna become some outlaw?"

"I've seen it happen, kid."

Her visage returned to a cold stare. "That's not gonna happen, Ricketts."

"Be sure that it doesn't, Miss Ross. Otherwise, we might have a problem."

Her gaze hardened. She raised her chin once more at him. " _No habrá problema, señor. Créeme_."

" _Bien_ ," he said and returned to the chunk of meat he held in his hands. Maddie did the same, and they their meal in silence.


	6. Chapter 6: Horse Sense

**Chapter Track:** Run Free - Hans Zimmer, _Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron_ soundtrack

* * *

 _The filly looked no more than two years old. Though she hadn't yet filled out, the mustang boasted a muscular black body and sturdy, strong legs. Her flaxen mane and tail swayed in the cool breeze as she grazed alongside her herdmates. The band of ten mustangs had crossed Montana Ford onto the Great Plains, and now that they had found an abundance of fresh grass, the band settled into their new home._

 _Maddie had never seen any horse like it. She sat atop her late mother's white mare, transfixed. In the months of her exploration across the Great Plains, she had seen many horses adorned with some of the most beautiful and rare hides imaginable, but this filly was by far the rarest of them all._

 _"Look at her, Isabelle," the fourteen-year-old girl whispered. The horse beneath her stared at the band that grazed two-hundred-fifty yards away, ears pricked forward and nostrils flaring. Maddie felt her mount's sides expand and retract with every breath as she took in the scents of the mustangs. The mare stood in the shade of Broken Tree overlooking the plains._

 _"Isn't she just a beauty."_

 _The mare flicked an ear back to listen, then turned it to the side as the sound of approaching hoofbeats. Isabelle and Maddie looked to their right as a horse and rider ambled up beside them. The man pulled up his grullo gelding to a stop beside the females. Maddie and the man exchanged brief glances before turning their attention to the mustangs before them._

" _Look at them mustangs, Pa," Maddie said. "Aren't they gorgeous?"_

 _Phillip Ross nodded. "They sure are." He looked at his daughter and smirked as he noticed her enraptured gaze. "Just like your mother, just head over heels for horses."_

 _Maddie's countenance drooped into a sad frown. It had only been six months since her mother was killed; the shock and pain of it still held her in its tight, cold grasp. She had stepped into her mother's shoes and took care the house and cook for and her father; she had drug her drunken father out of the depths of his alcoholism and helped him get back to his feet; she had to go on without the love guidance of her beloved mother, the one person she adored and couldn't imagine living without. But it had happened all too painfully fast. Time had knocked her down and trampled her into the deepest, darkest hole of depression, and she was still trying to rise back up and come to terms with that happened._

 _Phillip frowned and looked away from his daughter, ashamed to have brought up her late mother again when they had been doing so well the past couple days. It was an endless cycle, a relentless ebb and flow of mourning. A wave of pain washed over him. Father and daughter watched the mustangs for a time in painful silence; their horses stood staring at their wild brethren._

 _The silence was ended when Isabelle took a deep breath and trumpeted a greeting._

 _All ten mustangs' heads shot up. Their eyes and ears locked onto the two horses with the strange creatures atop their backs. Nostrils flared and tails rose in alert as the mustangs studied the oddities before them. The colts and fillies nearest to the black stallion turned their heads and muzzled his thick neck, seeking guidance and bravery in the face of a potential predator. The stallion nudged them reassuringly before looking back at the intruders. Neither moved as they stood staring at each other._

 _"You gonna rope one?" Phillip asked, glancing at Maddie._

 _She nodded and pointed to the rocky mountain filly. "Her, I like her."_

" _She sure is somethin' else. Never seen a horse like her before in all my life." Phillip tore his gaze away from the filly long enough to look down at the lasso tied to his saddle. He gathered the rope in his hands._

 _"No," Maddie said. "I'll catch her myself. "She untied her lasso and hefted it in her hands._

 _"You sure?"_

 _She nodded._

 _"Alright, then. I'll keep my rope ready if you need help."_

 _"No need, Pa. I can rope her just fine."_

 _Phillip chortled and smiled at his recalcitrant daughter. "If you say so, darlin'."_

 _Maddie transferred the reins and the slack of the lasso to her left hand and held the loop of the lasso with her right hand down by her horse's side. A determined blaze lit up her brown eyes as she kicked Isabelle's sides. The mare lunged forward at a fast lope towards the filly. The band of mustangs bolted the second the white mare moved; the thunder of their hooves rumbled across the Great Plains as they galloped away._

 _"Get after her, Maddie!"_

 _Maddie glanced back over her shoulder. Just as she suspected, her father rode behind her closely with his lasso at the ready. Anger seared in her; she turned back around in the saddle and kicked her horse again. "C'mon, Isabelle! Go get her!"_

 _The horse responded with a burst of speed the likes of which she didn't know the old mare had. For being fifteen years old, the horse wasn't showing her age. Maddie guided her after the filly she yearned for. As Isabelle closed the gap between them, her rider began swinging the lasso above her head. She kicked Isabelle once more, and as the mare drew nearer to the filly, Maddie threw the rope at the mustang's head._

 _It missed by three inches._

 _"Shit!" Maddie hissed and hastily gathered the rope up in her hands, being careful to rein her horse away from the end of the rope. The filly sprinted on, keeping pace with the herd._

 _A grey streak of horsehide caught Maddie's attention out of the corner of her left eye. Her father was closing the gap between him and the mustang she had her sights on, his lasso a tan blur above his head. "No!" she commanded and kicked Isabelle once more; the mare was quick to match the gelding's pace, and as Maddie rode up beside her father, she shouted, "No, Pa! I've got this mustang!"_

 _"Like hell, Maddie! You almost tripped up your horse back there. I ain't takin' any more chances. I'll get her."_

 _"I said NO, goddamn it!" She spurred her mare faster. Isabelle shot forward, overtaking the grullo and shortening the distance between her and the mustangs. Maddie widened the loop and began swinging it over her head, spinning it faster this time._

C,mon, c'mon, c,mon, _she thought as, little but little, Isabelle came closer to the rocky mountain filly._ Almost there… _With only eight feet between the horses, Maddie gave her rope two more swings before she aimed her sights on the mustang's head and threw._

 _She gave an elated shout as her aim proved true. Maddie quickly dallied the rope around the saddle horn and pulled back on the reins, easing her horse to a lope. The black filly fought hard against the rope, jerking her head and body forward, her flaxen mane and tail a white swirl behind her. Maddie eased Isabelle and the filly to a slower gait. As her herdmates left her behind, the filly fought even harder, straining against the strange thing around her neck._

 _Half a mile later, the filly was still going strong. Isabelle fought hard against the filly, keeping her front hooves rooted to the ground as much as possible while the youngster jerked her forward. The rope creaked and moaned in protest all the while, pleading to be released from the constant strain._

 _Hoofbeats approached them from behind. Maddie looked over her shoulder just in time to see her father come riding up to the filly and throw his rope at her head. The little mustang gave a terrified squeal and reared high, her front legs flailing and the muscles in her hindquarters bulging. As Phillip dallied off his rope, the filly landed back down on all fours. Together, he and his daughter slowed the feisty filly to a stop._

 _"Hellfire, that was quite a ride!" Phillip laughed. His grullo's hide was drenched in sweat, and foam had begun to accumulate around his mouth and neck. The gelding tossed his head as his rider reined him to the other side of the filly to face his daughter and keep the mustang in place._

 _It was easier said than done: the filly reared and bucked, tossed her head and snorted, and bellowed terrified cries. She called out to her herd, pleading for help, but the band was long gone._

 _"You sure picked the spirited one of the herd," her father shouted over the mustang's whinnies._

 _"Guess I got a good eye for 'em," Maddie said. She shook her head in awe at the tenacity of the mustang: though her muscles trembled from exertion and her body was slick with sweat, she still fought for her freedom. "She's a fighter alright."_

 _"You sure you can handle her? She looks a little too wild, Maddie."_

 _The young girl scoffed. "Of course, I can handle her! It'll be a breeze to tame her."_

* * *

The buckskin stallion trotted nervously about in the round pen, eyes wide and nostrils flaring as he searched for a means of escape. He carried his black tail high in alarm as she trotted around the fifteen-year-old girl standing in the middle of the pen. She didn't hold his attention, but she certainly didn't help his stress, especially with the lasso dangling from her right hand at her side. The horse was more concerned with the growing number of dark-skinned humans that congregated around the pen. As more of Chuparosa's citizens gathered around him, the buckskin began to lope around in fear.

Maddie wasn't fazed in the slightest: she had worked with wild horses before, had worked with colts that didn't know what a saddle was until they accepted her as a rider. She had been bucked off, kicked, stomped on, and bitten many times before. As she studied the nervous stallion, she knew that taming him would be no different. He had yet to accept a rider: every single Latino in town had tried to buck him out, but each time the stallion bucked them off before they could get a good seat and the reins. The horse had become known as _Combatiente_.

What did faze her, however, was the constant taunts, jest, and laughter coming from all around her. Many Latino men gestured to her with an unimpressed flick of their hands; scoffs and snorts of derision soon followed. All around her, snippets of conversation could be heard.

 _"_ _¿Quién se cree que es? ¡Esta chica va a morir!"_

 _"Mirala. Ella no tiene ninguna posibilidad contra ese caballo."_

 _"_ _¡_ _Esto es trabajo de un hombre!_ _¿_ _Que hace ella aqui?"_

 _"_ _¡_ _Salir de esa pluma, chica est_ _ú_ _pida!_ _¡_ _Deje que un hombre te enseñe cómo hacerlo!"_

The taunts nipped at her flesh like horse teeth, swelling under her skin like bruises and poisoning her with self-doubt. She began to feel dwarfed by the stallion as he loped around her, not caring that she stood there. Maddie felt a frown tug at the corners of her lips; a dark cloud of self-deprecation began to enshroud her thoughts.

Before her mind could taint her confidence, a pair of grey eyes caught her attention. Amidst the laughing citizens of Chuparosa, Landon Ricketts stood silently watching her. The old man nodded towards the stallion encouragingly. " _Se fuerte, mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_ ," he said. " _Ignorarlos a todos, Maddie. Yo soy el unico aqui. Estos imbeciles no importan_."

She stood drinking in every word, hoping his statement would fill her with confidence.

 _"Muéstrame_ _lo que puedes hacer_."

A soft smile spread across her lips. " _Gracias, mi maestro_ ," she said and turned to the stallion. She squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and took a deep breath as she turned her attention to the buckskin beauty. _"_ _¡_ _Meste_ _ñ_ _o!_ "

The stallion continued to lope around her; his attention was split between the girl and the crowd of nonbelievers.

She lashed the lasso in front of him. _"_ _¡_ _Meste_ _ñ_ _o!"_

The horse slid to a stop and faced her fully, ears pricked and nostrils flaring. He spooked and ran away from the rope as Maddie threw it at him again, this time towards his shoulder. As he loped around her, going in the other direction, she proclaimed, _"_ _¡_ _Estoy aqui! Mirame, escuchame, prestame atencion. No te temo, Combatiente."_

The stallion appeared puzzled as she tossed the rope at him again, making him stop and turn around. He had been accustomed to the humans roping him and forcing a saddle and bridle on him; he became aware of the cruel routine of being shoved in the chute, being forced to accept a rider on his back, and then buck them off. Each time, they'd get back on. None of the two-leggeds were getting the clue, but this little female was doing something completely different, and that made him uneasy.

He pinned his ears back and shied away from the rope as Maddie tossed it at his b; he flinched when the end tapped his hide, and he gave an angry kick as he loped away. He tossed his head in frustration when the small humans flicked the rope in front of him, making him slide to a stop and turn around.

A puzzled hush began to settle over the crowd as they watched the young woman work the horse in a way they'd never seen before. Instead of chasing the horse down and roping him, she chased him away with the lasso. The change in her demeanor befuddled them; the insignificant little girl that cowered in the middle of the pen transformed into a commanding woman with the character of a queen. She stood tall and proud; she squared her shoulder and faced the horse fearlessly; she glared him down as if he were no more than a disrespectful child. No more did taunt her and laugh; instead, they stood in awe.

The dirt within the round pen became a turned-up mess; thousands of hoofprints treaded alongside the fence while footprints dotted the center, creating a circle within a circle.

 _"_ _¡_ _Corre, meste_ _ñ_ _o!_ " Maddie shouted, lashing the rope out to the buckskin yet again. Her eyes were fixed on his proud, beautiful head, waiting for the sign of submission.

And then it happened… The stallion turned his inner ear to her.

" _Muy bien_ ," she said and sent him in the other direction with the rope.

He spun around gracefully, like a dancer in reaction to his partner's movements.

Maddie smirked as she watched him lower his head and made chewing motions with his mouth. She waited a moment longer, and when he bobbed his head several more times, she turned her back to the stallion and stood still, listening to his hoof-falls as he slowed to a stop and face her. She listened as he approached cautiously. Her smile grew as she felt his hot breath on her shoulder; his soft muzzle brushed her shirt.

Slowly, Maddie face him, eyes downcast so as not to alert him. She lifted a hand to his ebony muzzle, and he nuzzled her palm as he breathed in her scent. Horse and human came together in a quiet moment as Maddie slid her hand up his muzzle and petted him underneath his black forelock.

"Good boy," she murmured. " _Gracias_."

Silence ensued as she turned and walked away, with the stallion obediently following her beside her right shoulder. She led him around the pen, smiling at the slack-jawed men and women of Chuparosa. When she came up to Landon, she stopped and met gazes with him. The buckskin stood beside her, eyes and ears fixed on his new leader and herd-mate.

Maddie nodded to the stallion. "So? What do you think?"

The old man shook his head; his grey eyes shimmered with wonder. "I have never seen anything so beautiful."

* * *

 _The black filly leapt high, and for the fifth time that day, she bucked her small rider off her back and sent her sailing through the air and landing hard onto the churned-up dirt in the round pen. Maddie lay prone, gasping in pain and surprise as she tried to breathe—the wind had been knocked out of her, and hard. It had been a long, hard week of working with the mustang; she was proving to the most spirited horse she'd ever come across._

 _Rushed footfalls approached her, and she was lifted to her feet by strong hands._

 _"Are you all right?" her father asked._

 _Maddie nodded and dusted herself off. Little by little, she felt her lungs taking in air._

 _"She's gonna kill you, Maddie. Do you want me to buck her out for you?"_

 _"No, Pa." She lifted her chin and met gazes with her stood over her with a worried countenance. "You're too big for, and she is_ my _horse. Ain't nobody gonna tame her but_ me _." She rested her hands on her hips in a saucy manner._

 _Phillip looked her over and shook his head. "Look at you, you silly girl. She's got you all busted up."_

 _"What else do you expect, Pa? She's a mustang."_

 _"I'm not just gonna stand by and watch you get beat up, darlin'. Let me buck her out."_

 _"No!" she shouted and stormed off towards the filly, who stood across the pen watching. As she approached, the mustang pinned her ears back and lifted her head. "Don't you give me anymore of that sass, you little shit. Now stand." Maddie criss-crossed the reins on top of the saddle horn and jammed her left boot into the corresponding stirrup. The black beauty tossed her head. Horse and human stared at each other in anticipation._

 _"Stand, girl," Maddie commanded._

 _The horse swished her tail and flared her nostrils._

 _"I. Said. Stand."_

 _She shook her head and tossed her mane._

 _"Mount up, Maddie," Phillip said. "Ain't no time but the present. She's tired."_

 _His spirited daughter shot a glare over her shoulder at him. "What do you think I'm doin'? Gimme a damn second to catch my breath!"_

 _He narrowed his eyes. "Watch your mouth, Madeline Anne Ross, or else I'll give you an even bigger ass-whoopin' than that horse is givin' you."_

 _To this, Maddie said nothing. Her scowl refused to fade as she turned back to the mustang. Her left hand came to rest back on top of the saddle horn and reins, while her right grabbed the cantle. She took a deep breath; the filly tensed._

 _Carefully, she pulled herself up, with her right leg dangling and her weight mostly on the saddle, but she did not yet her leg over and mount up. The filly lifted her head and tail, not necessarily liking the girl's weight but not objecting to it either. Maddie stayed there, waiting for the horse to get used to her, before she dropped back down to the ground._

 _"What are you doin', Maddie?" Phillip asked. "Mount up!"_

 _"I'm goin' at the speed she's comfortable with, Pa. Ain't no sense in rushing."_

 _He was silent as he watched his daughter repeat the process, only this time, she put most of her weight on the seat. The filly took a few uncertain steps, one ear cocked back, but she didn't offer to buck. Maddie petted her neck, saying, "Good girl, good girl."_

 _Two more times, she draped herself over the saddle, and when the mustang took her weight without fear, she slowly brought herself up and draped her right leg over onto the other side and draped her right leg over onto the other side of the horse and carefully put her boot in the stirrup. She eased herself down onto the seat and sat there, calmly waiting for the mustang to get used to her weight. What she once considered a predator on her back now became a partner as the mustang stood there silently. She turned her ears back to her rider and listened to her breathe as she waited for her next move._

 _"So far, so good," Phillip murmured._

 _"Don't jinx it," Maddie said._

 _The moment she squeezed her heels to her horse's sides, the filly baulked and gave a crow hop. The mustang bucked around the pen, but not as furiously as before. Maddie stuck her boots deep into the stirrups and leaned back in the saddle; she rode with the horse, riding out the buck as the filly slowly became less aggressive and more accustomed to the rider and the saddle._

 _"That a girl!" her father shouted. "Ler 'er buck, Maddie! Stay with her! You've almost got her!"_

 _A long, tiring minute later, the filly went from bucking to loping. Maddie guided the filly around, changing direction and keeping her feet moving and her mind working. When she was satisfied, she pulled her to a stop in the middle of the round pen and gave her a chance to catch her breath and relax. The horse's body was slick with sweat; her sides rose and fell with every labored breath. Maddie leaned forward in the saddle, and with tears brimming her eyes, she stroked her mane and neck graciously, saying, "Good girl. See? That wasn't so bad, now was it? Good, good girl!"_

 _She leaned back and sat up tall and proud, smiling as she locked eyes with her father, who strode up to her with a twinkle in his eye and smirk on his face. "That's my girl," he said._

* * *

Gingerly, Maddie set the saddle upon the stallion's blanketed back. She and the buckskin met eyes; the horse cocked an ear back to her.

"Easy, boy," she cooed and patted his neck. She reached underneath his belly and grabbed the front cinch, slipping the latigo through the rigging and steadily tightening at a pace the horse was comfortable with. The mustang stood quietly; there was no trickery here, no mistrust or force. Once she was done with the front cinch, she went to the back cinch and finished saddling the mustang.

A silence like no other enshrouded the corral as the horseman of Chuparosa stood staring. Where once the stallion shied from a human's touch, he now stood calmly whenever Maddie stroked his smooth hide. Anxious and disbelieving eyes watched her as she bent down and retrieved the bridle from the ground. Maddie reached around his neck with the left cheek piece unbuckled, and after he accepted the bit, she buckled it back up and fastened the throat lash. The reins hung to the ground as the stallion obediently stood still for her as she checked his tack to make sure he was comfortable, and after her inspection, she criss-crossed the reins atop the saddle horn.

Murmurs of skepticism echoed around her as she raised her left boot up into the stirrup. In the week that she'd joined up with the buckskin, she had yet to ride him. At first, he was petrified when she would walk into the pen carrying what he hated the most, but she sat the tack down in the middle of the round pen and let him inspect it on his own free will. By the end of the third day, she had him accustomed to the saddle and bridle; by the fifth day, he willingly accepted it. However, when it came to him accepting her as a rider, his traumatizing experiences with the Mexicans forcing themselves upon him kept him in flight mode, and Maddie didn't know if she could correct the stallion of the bad lesson they had taught him.

She could feel the horse tense as she pulled herself up and draped her body across the saddle. The stallion looked back at her, nervous but not offering to buck… yet. She lay there for several more seconds before she climbed back down and stroked his neck.

Several more times, she did this. The murmurs crescendoed around her, and one man shouted, _"_ _¡_ _Monte el caballo!_ What are you waiting for?"

 _"_ _¡_ _Silencio, idiota!_ Be patient and watch; there is much to learn from my methods."

The people lowered their voices and waited. Maddie stood beside the stallion with her left foot in the stirrup and her hands on the saddle. Quietly, cautiously, she hoisted herself up onto the saddle and draped over it like before, but after a moment, she righted herself and slowly draped her right leg over the horse's other side. She graciously petted his neck and mane before leaning back and sitting up tall and proud in the saddle.

She clicked her tongue, and the horse took a step forward. He baulked and crow-hopped, squealing with fright as recollections of the previous attempts to break him overtook him. He bucked hard and sailed high, desperate to escape, but when no pain of sharpened spurs cut his and crops smacked his rump, when he didn't feel any excruciating pressure in his mouth from the bit being yanked about by the reins, he slowly began to understand. Maddie rode the buck out as best she could, keeping her boots deep in the stirrups, her legs straight, and the reins loose. As he leapt about the round pen, his buck became a tired crow-hop, which then became a lope, then a trot, and finally a walk.

As he came to a stop, Maddie leaned forward and patted his neck. In between pants, she said, "Good boy. You did wonderful." The stallion lowered his head and did his best to catch his breath.

The crown around the pen erupted into applause; the fifteen-year-old girl blushed as she sat up and looked around her. The citizens of Chuparosa beamed at her, astounded to see her success and her strange method. However, the second she dismounted, the horsemen that had tried to break the stallion became irate.

 _"_ _¿_ _Que es esta hechiceria?_ _¿_ _Es esto un trunco?"_ one shouted.

 _"_ _¿_ _Donde aprendiste a domesticar caballos?"_ demanded the other.

She laughed. " _¿_ _No es obvio?_ I earned that horse's trust. I earned the right to ride him, and it wasn't through force. This isn't a trick, this isn't sort of magic-this is just trust and common sense." She shook her head, astounded at their machismo and ignorance. "You men think it's all about domination, about breaking the horse's spirit, when in fact you should be working with the horse, earning his trust, and becoming his partner. _Un caballo no es un enclavo do un ser humano, y un humano no es el amo de un caballo_."

The men bristled and flinched away from her, as if her words nipped at their skin like a moody filly. In a fit of rage and denial, they stomped to the cantina to drink their frustration away and nurse their pride. Gradually, the crowd dispersed and went back into town.

Maddie chuckled as she watched them storm away. She turned back to the stallion and smiled, feeling pride blossom in her breast as she looked him over. He was beautiful and proud as ever, standing with untouched regality in his black tack. His muscular neck bowed up as he carried his head high, ears pricked forward, dark eyes staring back at her intently. His black tail floated behind him like a dark flag as he walked up to her.

She smirked and gingerly stroked his muzzle. "Those fools do not understand, and they never will. They are too proud and too hell-bent in their ways. If only they could unveil their eyes to other methods-that way none of your kind would ever be treated so poorly ever again." She shook her head once more. "Such a shame… such a waste."

Maddie turned and smirked when she saw all but one man had retired to the cantina for the evening. Landon Ricketts stood leaning against the round pen with his elbows resting on top of the fence. A smirk grew under his large white mustache; his grey eyes glimmered as he watched her.

"I think it's safe to say you showed them up," he chuckled. " _Muy bien, mi ni_ _ñ_ _a. Eres un caballista experto_."

A bright smile graced her lips, and she blushed as she tilted her hat to him. " _Gracias, mi maestro_."

* * *

The moonlight peaked through the curtains in her room, sending milky streaks through the windows and washing the floorboards with an ethereal light. Maddie lay in bed, staring up at the bland ceiling and frowning. Her enervated body lay heavily atop the mattress, but her mind was a whirlpool of activity. As the night progressed, she listened to the townsfolk in the _cantina_ and mentally arguing with herself whether to rise and carry out the plan she been mulling over ever she unsaddled the mustang earlier that day. Midnight came and went, and by the time two o'clock lulled around, restlessness took over and she hopped out of bed. Quietly, she pulled on her boots, duster, and hat, and left her room.

In the days that followed her successful ride on the supposed untamable horse, Maddie continued to work with the stallion and the men who tried to break him. She did her best to practice patience with the men, especially when they became enraged that the mustang would not allow anyone else but her on his back. Time after time, they attempted to do so, but the horse would pin his ears and flee, sometimes even nipping them.

"The horse is bewitched by you, _jinete_!" one of them said. "He is no good to us!"

"There is no magic here _, mi amigo_ ," she explained. "It takes time and patience to earn his trust. _Por favor_ , do not give up now. He may accept you yet."

So when no progress had been made after another week, and the men had all but given up, Maddie knew what had to be done.

The cool air shocked her after being in her warm bed for several hours, but she brushed off the chills and concentrated on the task at hand. Her boots thumped across the dirt as she quickly made her way past the church and alcalde. No one was in sight, as far as she could tell, but she didn't waste time dallying about. As she approached the corral, a familiar whicker greeter her.

Maddie smirked as the buckskin stallion approached her, his dark eyes alight with mirth and his ears pricked forward. He brushed her hand with his velveteen muzzle, his whiskers tickling her skin, and she ran her hand up his muzzle to his forelock and scratched between his ears.

" _Ven conmigo_ ," she whispered. " _Montemos_."

The stallion stood calmly as she climbed over the fence and strolled over to the stalls nears the white wall of the town. The rope halter and lead rope she had been using on him hung on a fence post, just where she'd left it. She grabbed it, went back to the stallion, slipped the halter onto his head, and tied the end of the lead rope to the bottom of the halter, creating a single rein. She stood with her left shoulder to his left wither, swung her right leg back and forth several times to gain momentum, and on the fourth swing, she leapt up onto his back and picked up the lead rope.

She squeezed her heels to his sides, and he walked forward. She rode him around the corral, steadily increasing speed, until he was at a corner, at which point she reined him towards the gate. She kicked his sides as he neared it; the stallion knew exactly what she commanded and jumped the fence. He sailed gracefully over it with plenty of space to spare him west and kicked him into a gallop following the railroad tracks.

The night was cold but beautiful as the stallion soared across the land at breakneck speed; his black mane shimmered in the moonlight and his hooves pounded a glorious three-beated rhythm of freedom. Despite the wind, Maddie found herself smiling, laughing even, with glee as she rode with wild abandon. The mustang's speed and power reverberated through her small frame, and for a moment, she felt insignificant stop his back. She was no more than a horse fly upon him, a blemish on his hide, and yet, he responded to the slightest squeeze of her heels and the softest of caresses-he was neither her slave or acolyte, but rather an extension of his magnificent body. White sand and cactus streaked past them; the millions of stars and the bright round moon illuminated the landscape like a stage for them to perform their flight to freedom.

When the horse all but exhausted himself, she slowed him to a stop as they entered Punta Orgullo. The mustang's sides heaved, and his nostrils flared as he tried to catch his breath; he blew loudly and shook himself with giddy fatigue, looking overjoyed to have finally been able to stretch his legs and gallop freely. Maddie relaxed from her bent stance and sat up straight, letting her legs dangle beside his barrel. Horse and rider panted almost in unison and looked about them, taking in their surroundings while they regained their stamina. For five minutes, all that could be heard was their labored breathing and the sighing of the wind.

When his breathing slowed back to normal, Maddie urged him onward at a walk across the sloping sandhills dotted with cactus and shrubbery. Horse and rider enjoyed each other's company in silence as they explored. South of them lay Tesoro Azul, and off in the distance ahead of them sprouted Crooked Toes. Maddie stopped the horse, deeming it far enough from town.

With a sigh, she leaned forward and ran her fingers through his thick black mane, whispering, " _Que hermoso caballo eres. Buen chico_." The stallion nickered in response to her caresses and flicked his ears back to listen to her.

The thundering of hooves brought them out of their touch moment; horse and human snapped to attentions as, off in the distance amidst the vegetation and moonlight, a herd of fifteen mustangs loped by. Beneath her, the stallion stood stock still except for his flaring nostrils and pricked ears. Maddie chuckled when he trumpeted a mighty whinny to the band, and as she expected, the horses stopped and looked.

The stallion stood shaking with excitement; his long tail raised in unison with his proud head. He nickered and flicked an ear back to Maddie. Maddie dismounted and lifted a hand up to his thick neck and long mane. A smirk graced her lips as she watched the mustang stare intently at his fellow creatures. She stroked his neck gently, feeling his coat one last time.

"They're never gonna ride you, boy… and no one ever should."

Tears began to swell in her eyes as she reached up and untied the knot in the rope halter. The stallion locked eyes with her and stood patiently waiting as she slipped the halter off his head and stepped back several paces. He turned his head to her and nickered.

Maddie smiled. "Go on. You've earned your freedom."

He cocked back an ear and blinked, but when she untied the lead rope from the halter and flicked it towards his rump, he understood. With a joyous bob of his head, he took off at a gallop towards the herd. His hooves kicked up clouds of sand in his wake as he charged forward, and as he neared the band, he slowed and bucked with joy as a palomino mare and a brown and white filly greeted him with warm whickers. The rest of the herd encircled him, sniffing and muzzling him. When at last the reunion was over, tossed his head and reared before galloping off into the distance, and the herd followed, bucking and kicking with excitement.

Maddie watched until she could see them no longer, and with happy tears streaking down her face, she turned and headed back to Chuparosa.


	7. Chapter 7: El Gringo

Maddie rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned; the coffee sitting on the table in front of her did nothing to stir her from her lethargic state. The _cantina_ was as busy as ever in the morning, serving coffee and breakfast to the locals as usual. Roosters crowed and horses whickered outside; a low murmur of Spanish flowed and ebbed inside, lulling Maddie to slumber.

"You're awfully quiet this morning," Landon said as he lifted his coffee to his lips.

Maddie nodded groggily. "Yeah. Didn't get much sleep last night."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "Don't know. Just couldn't sleep." She looked her mentor over and scoffed. "You're in better shape than I am."

A wise glimmer lit up his grey eyes as he uttered, "Well, I wasn't going on a moonlit ride."

Her heart stuttered in her chest, and her eyes widened. She took a long swig of her coffee.

"You're not as sneaky as you think you are, _ni_ _ñ_ _a_."

"Did… did you tell anyone?" she whispered.

"Now, why would I do that?"

Her grip tightened around the coffee mug.

He laughed softly. "You don't have to worry about me spilling your secret. He didn't belong here anyway."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Really?"

"Of course." He sipped at his coffee and stared off into space. His smirk faded as his eyes glossed over in thought. "If I were a younger man, I would have taken a shot at breaking him, but now…I'm too old to be doing that foolishness." He looked back at her, and his eyes brightened as he continued, "But you're young and spritely. You did just fine with him."

" _Gracias, mi maestro_."

He opened his to reply, but he was cut off as someone cried out, _"_ _¡_ _Se_ _ñ_ _or Ricketts!"_ He, along with Maddie and most of the people in the _cantina_ , turned and watched as one of the horsemen ran inside, panting and wide-eyed. He rushed to Landon and huffed, " _¡_ _Senor Ricketts, por favor ayuda!_ One of the horses in the corral has been stolen!"

Landon jumped to his feet. "Which one?"

"The stallion! He's gone, _se_ _ñ_ _or_!"

"How?"

"Someone must've stolen him last night! I went to go feed the _caballos_ this morning and he was nowhere to be found."

"Are you sure he didn't just jump the fence?"

"Of course I'm sure! _Por favor, ayudame._ _¡_ _Necesitamos encontrar el meste_ _ñ_ _o!_ "

"And just how do you plan to do that, _se_ _ñ_ _or_?" Maddie asked. "He's a mustang—he's made to survive out there. How would you track him?"

The man looked her over with a suspicious scowl. "What do you know of it?"

She stood up. "I know more than you. I know how to catch them and earn their trust. You should know that senor. You watched me tame him, along with all the other supposed _jinetes_ here."

His eyes narrowed to black slits. "Did you set him free?! _¡_ _Dime!_ "

Landon stepped between them. "Maddie had nothing to do with that stallion's disappearance. I showed her to her room last night, and she didn't get out of bed until an hour ago."

The horseman looked around Landon and stared Maddie down. _"_ _¿_ _Es esto cierto?"_

She nodded curtly. " _Si, es cierto."_

He held her gaze a long moment before he looked back at Landon. With a sharp sigh, he turned and stomped out of the _cantina_ , muttering incoherently under his breath.

Maddie felt her body become encased with a cold wave of trepidation as she watched him storm off. "Do you think anyone else suspects me?"

Landon finished his coffee and set the cup down on the table. "Perhaps, but it doesn't matter, Maddie. They'll take my word over anyone here. I've been good to these people, so they trust me. You shouldn't worry about it. What's done is done, and that's all there is to it."

The young girl smirked up at him. " _Muchos gracias, mi maestro_."

* * *

The sun beat down on Chuparosa that afternoon, encasing the town in the usual sweltering heat of Mexico. Maddie took refuge in the shade and sat on the bench under the _alcalde_. She finally felt relaxed, despite her morning scare. The horsemen had congregated near the corral and conversed in hushed tones, and from what Maddie could eavesdrop as she brushed out her horse, they suspected her of course, and when she finished with her horse and walked by them, they shot her dirty looks. She walked on, feigning innocence, but her heart pounded and her breath quickened the second she passed through the entrance into town. However, after three hours, no one approached or threatened her. Landon's statement held true as the day progressed, and before long, she was grinning with contentment as she watched the usual goings-on of the town. Men drank in the _cantina_ and gambled at the poker table, women washed clothes beside the fountain, horses and donkeys stood tied to the hitching posts stomping their feet and swatting their tails at the incessant flies. A trio of Latinos stood nearby, talking the day away. Everything was as it should be; there was nothing out of the ordinary…

Except…

A man Maddie had never laid eyes on came riding into town on a palomino stallion. He stopped and hitched his horse by the banco next to Landon's mare. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, wearing a dark vest, a light-colored shirt with the sleeves rolled up just below the elbows, dark trousers, a dusty old satchel, and a dark-grey hat with a small white feather poking out from the black hat band on the right side. He was ruggedly handsome with his unkempt long hair and scruffy beard and mustache. Slung over his back was a Henry repeater; hanging on his hip was a revolver.

Her interest was piqued as he strolled past the three Latinos who were deep in conversation- Maddie didn't think too much of them, for they were hardly the sort of men she considered trust-worthy, outstanding citizens of Chuparosa. Maddie blinked as the three noticed the foreigner approaching them. They turned and walked out onto the street in front of the stranger.

" _Eh_ , _gringo_ , _¿_ _hablas espanol?"_ the man with the large sombrero asked.

"No, sir," the white man responded as he slowed and came to a stop before them. Maddie cringed at the gringo's pronunciation as he continued, " _Pardon, pero, yo habla un solo poquito espa_ _ñ_ _ol_."

The Latinos chuckled.

 _"_ _¿_ _Habla English?"_ the _gringo_ asked.

" _Si, gringo, habla mucho ingles,"_ the first man responded. He walked around the foreigner, counting with his fingers as he said, " _Hablo_ 'filthy fucking bean eater'. _Hablo_ 'slippery little Mexican'. _Hablo_ 'little piece of shit'. _¿_ _Comprende, amigo?_ _¿_ _Comprende?_ " He faced the white man and spread his arms out. "Hey, what are you doing here, gringo? I don't remember inviting you to my country."

"I don't think you did, _amigo_. I mean you no harm."

The man threw back his head and laughed. "You mean us no harm? This is funny! What harm could you do to us, exactly?"

"Nothing, _amigo_ ," the gringo replied, sounding generally friendly and empathetic. "Now, I appreciate the welcome committee, but I'd hate to spoil a beautiful afternoon on such beautiful land with any further unpleasantries. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He took a step forward.

The man held up a hand, stopping his advancement, and said, "Ah, hold it, _gringo_. I think you are forgetting something: a little taxation!" He and his friends laughed boisterously. "I have a large family!"

Their laughter died down as the white man responded, "I too have a family, friend. So that we may see our families again, I suggest we part ways amicably."

Maddie gasped slightly as one of the _Latinos_ came up behind him and plucked his hat off his head. The three laughed as the burly Mexican placed it atop his head and paraded around, giggling mischievously.

The man with the sombrero pointed down at his boots. "Can I see the boots, _gringo_?"

The American's tone turned deadly as he spat, "I think you can see them just fine from where you're standing, _se_ _ñ_ _or_."

The Latinos took a few steps back; their hands hovered over their revolvers.

"Take off the boots, _Americano_."

He paused as he glared at the three. Maddie was surprised when he complied, "As you wish," and knelt. The Latinos laughed at him, but just then, the _Americano_ stood back up, drawing his revolver at the same time, and shot them all down before retrieving his hate and putting it on his head where it rightfully belonged.

Out of nowhere, Landon appeared and approached the stranger. Maddie blinked, still in shock and not realizing he'd been sitting by the posada all that time. With a terse tone, he said, "Oh, very good. Very good indeed, sir. What a great way to improve border relations. An illiterate farmer crossing the river, coming into this civilization and butchering the local peasants. Thank you very much, sir."

"Don't mention it, old man."

Landon pointed at him. "You kill peasants, you become a peasant." He halted before the dead bodies and studied them briefly with consternation.

"I never aspired to be anything more," the stranger explained.

"Ah, a socialist, huh?" Landon turned back to face him and grumbled, "No wonder you left America."

"I am many things, most of them bad, but a man of political principles?" He shook his head. "No."

"Well then, I fear Mexico may not be for you, sir."

"Don't you worry about me."

"Oh, but I do worry. An angry man, a long way from home. A man who handles his gun as sloppy as you."

The gringo shifted his weight from one boot to the other. "I can handle a gun okay, partner."

"Yeah, as long as you're killing quail or peasants," Landon shot back, pointing down to the three dead men. "But if you have face another man, you don't stand a chance."

"And you do?"

"I can show you a few tricks." He beckoned for the man to follow and took a few steps. "Come with me."

"Hold on," the _gringo_ said, stopping him in his steps and looking as if he recognized him. "What's your name?"

"Ah, that doesn't matter anymore. And you?"

"I never had a name, mister," he replied with a shake of his head. "I was raised in an orphanage."

Landon chortled as he offered his hand to the man. "A real American, huh? Wonderful, just wonderful."

They shook hands and met gazes before walking out of town. Maddie stood and followed at a brisk jog. The sound of gunshots spurred her to run faster, and just as she neared the edge of town, she slowed and found Landon and the stranger conversing like old friends while the _gringo_ target practiced. Maddie slunk back around the corner and stood watching with rising anger.

"Well, you won't make it in the circus, but you can shoot," her mentor commented as he sat down on one of the chairs that he'd placed there. "Keep on practicing."

"Thank you, old man," the _gringo_ replied and fired once more, shattering another bottle.

"Now, who are you?" Landon demanded.

"No one interesting." He lowered the revolver. "Who are you?"

"Landon Ricketts. Not a name that means much anymore."

The _gringo's_ eyebrows rose as he turned and faced him. "It means a little. You were famous when I was a boy."

The old man scoffed. "Yeah, killing men's a strange kind of fame. I was the fastest in my time. I must have been. I'm the only one left."

"What are you doing here?"

"Living quietly, waiting."

"For what?"

"I don't know. And you?"

"I'm looking for a couple of men," he responded as he holstered his revolver. "Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella is from here."

Landon took out a cigarette and gave one to the man, who withdrew a match and struck it across his pant leg. He lit Landon's cigarette as the old man withdrew another from his jacket and put it in his mouth. "It could be... this whole place is teeming with Americans on the run, mercenaries, locals hell-bent on revolution."

"Revolution? Another one?"

"Yeah. Never really ends. This whole place has been a hotbed for revolution since before the Spanish left. Now, there's another local guy running around promising the peasants their freedom… just like the last two or three. Local government, foul bunch. Colonel Allende, he runs his place like a feudal king. He's an awful individual."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah… until someone puts a bullet in his head." Landon stood back up, as he the stranger. "C'mon, let's get back to it. You gotta keep that back straight, otherwise it makes the gun jump." He handed the man his revolver. "See if this Schofield makes a difference. Now that's a real gun."

Maddie's jealousy grew tenfold as she watched the man decimate three bottles in rapid succession.

"Well done," Landon praised. "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He waved the man after him as he walked off. "C'mon, I've got another idea."

Maddie gasped as the men walked closer to where she stood. She ducked around the corner.

The man followed as Landon continued, "The birds around here are always raising hell. Scavenging and scaring the life out of the locals. I say we put your new-found skills to the test, while doing a public service for the good people of Chuparosa." He stopped in front of the awning, where several vultures were perched. "Here will do. I'm gonna scare up some birds. Let's see if you can take down more than one at a time."

Rapidly, Landon drew his gun and fired, causing the vultures to spook and fly up in fear. Maddie's mouth dropped as the gringo shot down four in a row in no less than three seconds.

"Nicely done, sir," Landon praised. "You've been taught well."

Just then, her mentor and the stranger and walked toward her hiding spot. Maddie quickly jogged over to the row of hitched horses and donkeys and hid amongst them, pretending to be one of the horses' owner as she petted a bay gelding. Moments later, the men walked back into town.

"I have to say, I'm surprised you've heard of Landon Ricketts. I would have thought an old goat like me would have been long forgotten by now."

"I heard many a story when I was a boy," the gringo replied. "Still do, sometimes."

"What, these days? I find that hard to believe. What do people say?"

"Ah, you know how those conversations go. Fellas arguin' over who's the toughest, who's the fastest, and who shot people in the back."

"I'd place good money on me still being the fastest."

Both Maddie and the two conversing men were surprised when Ramon came jogging out of the banco towards Landon.

 _"_ _¡_ _Ay, Se_ _ñ_ _or Ricketts!_ _¡_ _Se_ _ñ_ _or Ricketts!_ _¡_ _Se_ _ñ_ _or Ricketts!_ _¡_ _Se_ _ñ_ _or Ricketts! Por favor, se_ _ñ_ _or._ Our bank wagon's under attack just outside of town! We need your help again."

"Whoa, slow down, Ramon," Landon said as he held up a hand. "We'll take care of it."

Ramon appeared relieved and grateful. "Thank you, _se_ _ñ_ _or_. Again, you are the savior of this town."

"Well, my friend," Landon said as he looked at the stranger, "are you ready to take a less… theoretical exam?"

"Sure. I don't think I even rode with no savior before."

The old man smiled warmly at him before walking over their hitched horses beside the banco. "Come on. These people need me."

With her mouth agape in outrage, Maddie watched as Landon and the stranger mounted up and rose out of town at a fast canter, their horses' hooves kicking up dust in their wake. Maddie shoved her way out between the horses and donkeys and ran out of town after them; however, she stopped just below the entrance when she saw them galloping down the road towards Tesoro Azul.

"You son of a bitch!" Maddie roared after her mentor. She knew he was too far away to hear her threats, but she continued in a tirade of curses. "How DARE you just throw me aside like that! How DARE you just give your trust to some stupid gringo who wasn't even in town for more than five minutes! YOU BASTARD!"

She spun around and stomped back to her room. _"_ _¡_ _Ese bastardo!_ _¿_ _Quien se cree que es?_ Who the hell does that _gringo_ think he is, buddying up to him like that? I've been here for _months_ , and here he is off riding with some son of a bitch he doesn't know from Adam in a day! _¿_ _Por que no me pidio que fuera con el?_ _¡_ _Puedo disparar y montar mas rapido que ese gringo!_ " When she got to her room, she slammed the door shut behind her and paced around with her head bowed and her hair and duster billowing about. Her boots clacked as she went back and forth in front of her bed. "This is BULLSHIT! How dare he!"

It wasn't long until she heard a wagon rolling into town and the clip-clop of hooves. She stopped in mid-step as she recognized Landon's voice; she stood glaring at the door, waiting and listening.

 _"_ _¡_ _Sano y salvo!"_ said Ramon. _"_ _¡_ _Nunca podre agradecer lo suficiente!"_

"Buy me a whiskey later, and we'll call things about even," Landon replied, and then there was silence. Maddie dared not to breathe as she struggled to hear what was transpiring outside. Her heart fluttered as she heard boots approaching her door.

Sure enough, Landon opened the door and walked in, looking worn out but with an accomplished grin on his face. His mirth immediately disappeared the second he met gazes with his young apprentice and asked, "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong with YOU, Mister Ricketts?!" Her hands balled into shaking fists at her sides as she bellowed, "You forbid me to help you with _criminales_ outside of town, but the second some strange man shows up, you become his best friend and have him help you out?! I've been here for _months_ , and not even _five minutes_ after that fuckin' _gringo_ shows up, you're best friends with him and go off without even considering me to go with you! Is it because he's a man, and I'm a girl? _¡_ _Decirme la verdad!_ "

He held up a hand to calm her. "It was nothing but a quick ride outside of town. The bank wagon—"

"—Was bein' attacked, I know! But why didn't you come find me? Why did you just haphazardly decide to have that stranger help you? Haven't I proven I know what I'm doin' with a gun?! I've been bustin' my ass for you, and _this_ is how you repay me?!"

The old man bristled and took a step towards her. He pointed down at her, his finger inches from her face, as he spat, _"_ _¡_ _No hablar a mi como que, ni_ _ñ_ _a!_ As far as I'm concerned, that whole ordeal is no concern of yours! This was a very dangerous thing to have had you ride along with me—I'd much prefer it if you were here safe and out of harm's way."

"You cannot be serious, Landon! I'm better shot than that son of a bitch out there! You know I—"

"You are in _no way_ better than that man, Maddie, and you aren't ready to go riding around facing certain death! How foolish do you think I am to have you come with me? I care more about you than you think I do. Someone has to!"

His heartfelt declaration cut off the angry retort she was about to throw at him. Her creased brow softened as she stared up at him.

Landon's countenance softened as he withdrew his finger from her face. He sighed greatly as he bowed his head and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Do not be angry with me over this foolish matter—that man is nowhere near as important to me as you are, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_. Besides, I don't even know who the hell he is. But while he's in town, I don't want you associating with him, not until I know he can truly be trusted. _¿_ _Entiendes?_ "

"But you just went out there with him and saved the wagon! Why would you do that when you don't trust this stranger? Do you not trust me still?" She shook her head, her long hair swaying. " _No lo entiendo_."

"You will understand when I do, Maddie. For the time being, keep practicing, and avoid him if you can, alright?"

"But—"

 _"Alright?"_

She pursed her lips as she studied his face. After another moment longer, she sighed and bowed her head. " _S_ _í_ _, Se_ _ñ_ _or Ricketts. Entiendo_."

He smirked down at her and cupped the side of her face with a large hand. " _Bien_."


	8. Chapter 8: Defiance

**Chapter Track** : "A Great Adventure" \- Carter Burwell, _True Grit_ soundtrack

* * *

"So, what's the _gringo's_ name?" Maddie asked later that evening astride her horse. She looked over expectedly at her mentor, who sat atop his mare with a queer expression as he turned and locked eyes with her.

"From what the locals have told me, his name is John Marston. He doesn't say too much about himself, other than he's after a couple of men: Bill Williamson and Javier Escuella."

"Who the hell are they?"

He shrugged. "Don't know. Never heard of them."

"Why is he after them?"

"Don't know. He didn't say."

"Do you think he's a bounty hunter?"

Landon snorted. "Why the sudden change of heart, Maddie? Earlier today, you were practically chompin' at the bit wanting to pick a fight with the man…and me, too."

Maddie scoffed and rolled her eyes. She looked away at the beauty before them: they had ridden their horses around Chuparosa before riding them up a hill overlooking the town and stopping them to survey the area, should any other _banditos_ come riding to cause any further havoc. The sun had made its way closer to the horizon, giving Mexico a much-needed reprieve from the sweltering heat. Neither she or Landon had seen the _gringo_ since the afternoon, but he hadn't left the area…yet. She looked back at him and said, "I'm just tryin' to figure out who this man is. From the looks of him, I'd say he's either an outlaw or a bounty hunter. He certainly seems the type who's seen his fair share of run-ins with the law."

"Don't judge a man too harshly, Maddie. He may not be either one of those things. Still, I wouldn't trust him just yet. I don't want you I' near a stranger without me around."

An annoyed sigh escaped her. "I don't need protection, Ricketts. I can handle myself quite well."

"That remains to be seen, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_."

A long stretch of silence ensued as they two sat atop their horses looking for _banditos._ As the minutes progressed into half an hour, the sun sunk halfway down the sky, leaving a splash of color in its wake. Deer, coyotes, rabbits, and wild horses milled about, some right in front of them, others hundreds of yards away. Hawks and songbirds flew above them, calling out to one another and singing one last song before the day was spent.

"So…," Maddie began after a time.

Landon blinked. "So…?"

"So when are we gonna go after some bounties? You said it yourself there are plenty of _criminals_ around here."

"Maddie, stop. I am not gonna get you into that risky business. It's too dangerous of a job for—"

"A little girl? I am _far_ from that! I can ride, shoot, and rope better and faster than any girl my age. I'm not some helpless princess, Landon—you taught me to be the exact opposite of that."

The old gunslinger turned in the saddle to face her and frowned. "Maddie, why are you so hell-bent on goin' after bounties? I thought you just wanted to learn how to defend yourself."

She shrugged. "What else am I gonna do?"

His grey eyes narrowed. "Settle down with a good man and stay out of trouble, that's what."

Maddie sliced a hand through the air between them. "NO! I will NEVER fall for such a stupid, pointless thing! I will NOT fall for the same trap my mama found herself in; she would want me to do something more, something _better_ , with my life!"

He cocked a bushy eyebrow. _"_ _¿_ _Y t_ _ú_ _padre? ¿Qué hay de él?"_

" _¡_ _Al infierno con mi padre!_ I don't give a good goddamn about what he thinks!" She glared off into the distance, breathing heavily through flared nostrils. Her throat began to tighten; hot tears welled in her eyes trickled down her face.

The old man sighed and bowed his head. He reached over and put a hand on her shoulder as he cooed, "Maddie, the reason why I suggested that is because you could be safe from this revolution here in Mexico. I don't want you to see the bloodshed that this rebellion has caused, or whatever else these people will do to earn their freedom from the government. You don't deserve to see such death and misery."

She shrugged off his hand and kept her face hidden beneath her hat. _"_ _¿_ _Que importa, Landon? Vi a mi madre morir."_

"I know you watched her die, but that doesn't mean you should see more death. You're too young to—"

" _¡Suficiente!"_ she roared as she lifted her head and scowled at him. Fresh tears glided down her cheeks and chin as she said, "Who are you to tell me what I have or haven't seen, what I can and cannot see? You don't know what I've been through!"

The two stared into each other's eyes, Maddie's narrowed and overflowing with livid tears, Landon's wide with surprise. When the pain and anger was too much, the young girl tucked her chin into her collar and sniffed. Her hair fell down her shoulder like a dark curtain, shielding her from the old man's gaze as she wept quietly.

After a time, she heard him sigh. His rugged voice softened to a low rumble as he uttered, "Maddie, _esc_ _ú_ _chame._ I don't want you to suffer the same fate as your mother. I don't want you to be a bounty hunter. _¿_ _Entender?_

She sniffled heavily and wiped her face with the back of her hand. She let out a shaky breath and nodded.

" _Bien_ ," Landon said and turned his attention back to the task at hand. He frowned as he listened to his student's sobs. " _Lo siento, mi ni_ _ñ_ _a._ I wish you wouldn't have ever lost your mother."

A sad chortle escaped her. "How do you think _I_ feel?"

He shook his head as he met gazes with her. "I can only imagine."

" _Exactamente, se_ _ñ_ _or_. You can only imagine."

"But I can try to empathize with you, Maddie. Losing someone you love doesn't make life easy—if anything, it makes life a living hell…unless you learn to overcome the loss. Now, I'm not saying to forget her. Never would I _ever_ want you to forget your dear mother, nor should you, but you must learn to let her go…to let the past be past. Nothing you do can change what's happened, my dear girl, but you can change the future, and I hope to God you do. I hope that whatever you choose to do with your life, you make it worthwhile, for both your mother's sake and for your own."

Maddie looked up across the desert and blinked the tears away. Her lungs struggled to fill with air as she took a shaky inhale; she let it out hurriedly and ran a hand over her face to compose herself. When at last she could trust her voice, she looked over at him and said, "I plan to do just that, _se_ _ñ_ _or_. I'll live on in her stead, and I'll be the woman she'd want me to be."

Landon smirked and nodded. " _Muy bien_. And how, pray tell, do you intend to do that?"

A deadly scowl enveloped the young girl's face as a dark determination settled in her brown eyes as she stated, "By goin' after every sorry son of a bitch and bringin' 'em to justice. I'm gonna take the fight to every gutless outlaw and gunslinger around. A group of 'em took my mother from me, and I'll kill 'em all for that. I'll make short work of every bastard who dares to look at a woman the wrong way or treat them in such a manner; I'll make them sorry for even thinkin' a dirty thought." She lifted her chin and inhaled deeply, letting the crisp evening air fill her lungs and her spirit with a fiery newfound resolution. "That, _mi maestro_ , is what I plan on doin'."

The legendary gunslinger sat speechless atop his horse, his eyes searching hers for any inkling of folly or indecisiveness. A sad veil enshrouded his aged face, and where once the proud twinkle in his eyes once appeared, now glistened a myriad of intertwined emotions that Maddie could barely begin to unravel. He slowly shook his head, and an ironic, sad smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I was just like you when I was your age: stubborn and ready to take on the world. Good on ya, kid, but be careful: what you're itching to prove could be too much for you."

"We'll see, Landon. We'll see."

* * *

A week passed, and the _gringo_ was nowhere to be seen. Maddie was grateful for the man's absence, but as word traveled of the mysterious man and his business in a country he didn't belong in, she once again found herself suspicious and angered. Many rumors passed from town to town, from one _cantina_ to the next, and people were hesitant to speak further about him once the latest rumors reached Chuparosa.

"I hear he's been working for that _cerdo_ Allende," the bartender uttered one afternoon from behind the bar. He leaned on the counter by his forearms and looked from Landon to his little apprentice and back with a dubious glimmer in his dark eyes. He poured them a shot of tequila and sat the bottle back under the counter. He shook his head. "I've also heard he's been riding with that _puta_ de Santa."

"What all has he been doing with them?" Landon asked and threw back his shot. Maddie did the same with hers and stood listening.

The bartender bit his lip and looked off to the side. "The _gringo_ helped them assault Tesoro Azul. Shot down the rebels there and burnt their houses down."

" _Madre de Dios,_ " Landon uttered.

"I don't trust that man," Maddie growled. She stared down at her empty shot glass as she spun it around in her right hand.

Landon turned and looked down at her. "Which is why I don't want you—"

"Anywhere near him, I know," she huffed. "I get it."

"Regardless of whether it's true, we should still be careful." He motioned to the shot glasses and looked at the bartender. " _Dos mas, por favor_."

The man nodded and fetched the bottle. Apprentice and master drank their second round and stood leaning on the counter.

"I thought he was looking for those two men," Maddie said. "Why the hell would he be working for the goddamned army?"

"It's hard telling," Landon replied. He stared down at the empty shot glass he spun around in his hand. "Something's not right, that much is certain. Maybe we'll hear more about that Marston feller soon. But in the meantime," he tapped his shot glass and gestured to Maddie's as he met gazes with the bartender, "we'll take another, _se_ _ñ_ _or_ , if you don't mind."

Well into the afternoon, they drank and gossiped. When Maddie reached her fourth shot, she left the bar and went to her room to sleep off the buzz she began to feel, and by the time she was well-rested and sober, she returned to the _cantina_ and found Landon sitting at a table talking with Emilio Fortuna and another _Latino_. They spoke softly, too quiet for her ears to pick up, but she could've cared less as she strolled back up to the bar and ordered another drink. The tequila was just as strong the second time around, but it still tumbled smoothly and pleasantly down her throat like water.

She was about to order another one when a certain man strolled into the _cantina_ , instantly souring her mood. As if on cue, Landon and Emilio's conversation ended.

" _Muy interesante,"_ the old man said. " _Gracias, amigos."_

All eyes turned to the _gringo_ as he strolled past the bar and Maddie and up to their table. As John approached, Landon gestured to him and said, "Mister Marston. How the devil are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you, Mister Ricketts?"

"I'm good," he answered as the _gringo_ sat down. "I'm glad you're here, because these men were just telling me about Mister Escuella."

John looked from the old man to Emilio and back with a glint of hope in his eyes. "Javier Escuella?"

Landon turned in his seat."Emilio, let me ask you something. His _nombre es Javier? ¿Señor Escuella es Javier? ¿T_ _ú_ _si?"_

" _No se, señor,"_ Emilio responded with a small shrug.

Landon turned back to John and sighed."He doesn't know."

"I got that bit. Ask him if he was about five-foot-eight, mustache. Did he have an American in tow?" He gestured above his head. "A big American?"

Again, Landon looked to his _Latino_ friend. _"¿Emilio, estaba con grande Americano_?"

" _Yo no se."_

"No."

John gesticulated to Emilio with an outstretched arm. "Ag-Again, I got that."

"But they do have his sister," Landon continued. "Emilio's, I mean. She's a fine young woman, a teacher, a human being. Not the clothed vermin so many people seemed to have turned into."

"Tell him I'm sorry," Marston said.

"When a man's family is involved, you need a little more enthusiasm than mere apologies."

"I have enough worries, sir. This man's problems pain me, but they're not quite my own."

"Those who sit on the fence make a choice, in their own way. Don't you think, Mister Marston?"

John's eyes narrowed. "Of course. And what about you, Ricketts? A man living in the past, a man who ran away from home, what choice did you make?"

"I'll tell you what choice I made," he growled as he leaned forward. "I'm a fighter, sir, and I'll fight to the end." He stood up out of his chair. "I think we should get going."

John reluctantly stood and followed as the old gunslinger made his way outside. Before he left, however, Landon and Maddie exchanged glances, and from the look he gave her, she knew she wasn't allowed to follow. She sighed heavily and leaned against the bar, glaring down at her empty shot glass.

"You can take the train with me or ride yourself," Landon said as he and Marston walked out of the _cantina_. "Makes no odds to me." As they neared the train station, he continued, "I've been hearing some things about you, John Marston."

"Really?" the _gringo_ scoffed.

"That perhaps you're more in need of my help than I thought."

"Is that so?"

"That some recent encounters with this Bill Williamson fella haven't gone exactly in your favor."

"Funny how everyone seems to know my business, but nothin' about the men I'm looking for."

"It isn't easy getting the locals to talk."

Maddie watched the men saunter up to the train and climb into its bulky belly; her knuckles went white as she clenched the counter. She glared at the train as it groaned and belched out clouds of smoke as it struggled to get going down the tracks towards Casa Madrugada.

* * *

By the time Landon and John returned, Maddie was three shots in, once again feeling a mighty buzz alongside her simmering anger. She scowled at them as they stopped their horses before the _cantina_ and hitched them; they dismounted and parted ways without a word, with John heading for a room to presumably rest, while Landon shuffled to the bar.

" _Tequila, por favor_ ," the gunslinger sighed to the bartender. As soon as the alcohol was poured, he threw back the shot and exhaled deeply afterward.

Maddie picked up her shot glass and sidled up to him. As she came to stand at his side, the bartender automatically refilled both glasses. Master and apprentice took the shots simultaneously, sat the glasses down, and turned to face each other.

"So?" the feisty girl hissed.

Landon blinked and narrowed his eyes at her.

"How did it go? Is Luisa okay?"

He nodded. "She's a bit shaken up, the poor girl. She was barely alive when we found her, but we got to her in time, thank God. She'll be all right: my good friend Carlos took her to see the doctor in El Matadero." He sighed and grunted as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, his old bones creaking. "She's lucky to be alive. They must've beaten the hell out of her before we rescued her." He shook his head and glared off into space. "What the hell is this world coming to?"

"Was it difficult to free her?"

He shrugged. "It was a wild ride, but nothing Marston and I couldn't handle." He locked eyes with her suddenly. "Why?"

"You should've let me come with. An extra gun is never a bad thing."

"It was dangerous, Maddie. We barely made it out of there alive. There were a lot of soldiers."

Maddie scoffed. "So? I can handle a gun well. You of all people should know this."

He exhaled heavily through his nose and furrowed his brow. " _Ni_ _ñ_ _a_ , there's no sense in looking for trouble when it is abounding in this godforsaken country." He looked her over; the corner of his mouth twitched into a sardonic smirk. "You're developing quite the trigger twitch, aren't you?"

She brought her hands to her hips. "Well, what the hell else am I supposed to do, Ricketts? I'm bored outta my mind here! I didn't learn how to shoot from you only to sit around on my ass and not put my newfound skill to use. Fuck, all I've been doin' today is drinkin'." She gestured to the shot glass. "That was my fourth one."

He snorted through his nose. "And you're not drunk yet?"

She smacked his arm with the back of her hand. " _¡_ _Callate y escuchame, maldita sea!_ Don't change the subject!" She folded her arms across her chest and glared up at him. "When are you gonna let me go after bounties?"

He returned the glare. "When I say so, that's when."

Her jaw dropped open. " _Are you kiddin' me?!_ This is _bullshit_ , you know that, right?" She shot out her right arm and jabbed her index finger out towards the rest of the world. "I could be makin' big money and doin' the world a favor." She prodded his chest. "Instead, you got me sittin' around here all day drinking my anger away while I wait for you and that goddamned _gringo_ to come back."

A flare of anger scalded his features. He smacked her hand away. "Watch your tone with me, girl. It's been a long day, and the last thing I need right now is to listen to a pitiful excuse of a lecture from a whiny brat who's throwing a fit 'cause she's not getting her way." He dismissed her with a sharp wave of his hand. " _Ahora dejame ser_." He glanced at the bartender and motioned for a refill, to which the man quickly acquiesced.

"Damn it, Ricketts, _look at me!_ " she shouted and grabbed him by the arm. She turned him to face her and stared him down. "I'm not leavin' here til we come to an agreement."

He snatched her by the wrist and flung her hand off his shoulder. "First of all, Miss Ross, I'll not have you trying to manhandle me like that. Second of all, _I'm_ the one doin' all the swindling here, NOT you. I'll take you when you're ready, but since you're FAR from that, you'll stay here safe and not gettin' into any unnecessary danger if you're all by yourself."

She scoffed. "So could bein' in here—Chuparosa has its fair share of _banditos_ around."

His wiry eyebrows settled deep overtop his blazing grey eyes. More wrinkles than usual appeared on his forehead as he furrowed his brow; sharp lines pulled on his cheeks and corners of his mouth as he frowned. " _¡_ _Suficiente!_ You're not goin' after a bounty anytime soon, because you're too goddamned impatient, inexperienced, and hotheaded, and any one of those alone gets you killed in that sort of work if you're not careful. When you've reined in that damned temper of yours and learned to give me the respect I deserve, _then_ I'll take you on a bounty hunt."

"But—"

 _"_ _¡_ _No! No mas!"_

Hot tears of anger and injustice welled in the teenager's eyes as she glared at her mentor, and when her gaze was met with an indestructible wall of opposition, she huffed and stomped her boot to the ground. Her hair and duster fanned out behind her as she spun around on her heel and stormed out of the _cantina_ , muttering bilingual curses under her breath.

As she walked around the fountain and past the _alcalde_ , a sudden gust of wind whipped around the town's white wall, through the arches, and into the town. A swirl of dust swept towards Maddie; she tipped her head down and hid her face behind her hat to shield herself from the blast, and as it passed by her, movement out of the corner of her eye and the rustling of paper caught her attention. Fluttering in the wind, barely held onto the side of the _alcalde_ with two nails, was a wanted poster. The crude drawing of a man's face flickered in and out of her view, and so she drew closer to investigate. _When did this get put up?_ she wondered as she came to stand before it and pressed her hand against the bottom of the poster against the wall to see it fully. The drawing depicted a Mexican man she'd never seen before. His small eyes bore into hers with malicious intent; his dark handlebar mustache and unkempt hair flowed freely from beneath a _sombrero_. Several long, thick scars stretched across his face. But what really caught her attention was the bold text upon the paper: WANTED: ALEJANDRO VELAZQUEZ. MURDER, LARCENY, ARSON. LAST SEEN NEAR TESORO AZUL. $400 ALIVE $200 DEAD. Maddie stared at the wanted poster; a grin began to form across her lips the longer she gawked at it.

She glanced around, making sure no wanton eyes were upon her, specifically her old mentor's, before she plucked the poster off the wall and folded it up neatly. She stuffed the paper into one of the inside pockets of her duster. Her grin grew to a warmongering smile as she turned and headed to the market. With the cash she received from the buck she'd hunted and skinned, she bought as much ammunition she saw fit for her repeater and pistol and immediately retired to her room in the _cantina_.

* * *

The leather saddle creaked and moaned as Maddie swung it up and over her horse's back; it settled upon the blanket and Gypsy before she adjusted it and moved it to its proper position. The rocky mountain filly flicked her ears back and glanced over her wither at her rider. The young females met gazes until Maddie reached underneath her mounts belly and grabbed the front cinch. Her fingers fumbled with the latigo as she began tightening it in haste, looping it through the front rigging dee twice before slipping her fingers between the latigo and her horse's side and tugging it tighter. Her hands trembled with anticipation as she finished up with the front cinch and moved on to the back cinch. A determined scowl had set upon her teenage face ever since she awoke at four in that morning—she had beaten the old man in being the first to wake, and as she finished saddling her horse, she suddenly realized she was the only person awake in Chuparosa. The town was eerily quiet; not even the roosters were crowing yet this hour.

"Looks like we're the only ones awake, darlin'," Maddie whispered to the filly as she walked back towards the front of her steed. Gypsy looked at her with wide, brown eyes, eager to be on the road towards whatever destination her rider had in mind. Maddie slid her hand up her muzzle and underneath her forelock; her fingers wove themselves through the long flaxen mane, and Gypsy lowered her bridled head to allow her rider to further pet between her ears. With one last scratch and an affectionate pat on her mount's neck, the young lady withdrew her hand and set about checking over her arsenal of weapons she'd strapped to herself earlier. Her semi-automatic pistol hung at her right hip while her Henry repeater was slung over her back. Both firearms were loaded and ready: she'd cleaned them and loaded them the night before. She looked through the saddlebags one last time to make sure she packed plenty of ammunition. She reached her hand inside the left saddlebag and withdrew the wanted poster. She briefly looked over it, memorized the sketch and the name of her target before stuffing it back into the saddlebag and tying it closed. With a determined smirk, she crisscrossed the reins atop the saddle horn and mounted up.

"Come on, girl," she said bravely down to her horse. "Let's go prove that old coot what he thinks we can't do." Gently, she nudged the filly's sides with her heels.

She loped her black beauty out of Chuparosa and down the winding road. The morning air held a dreadful, biting chill to it, stinging her face and hands. With a shiver, she tucked her chin into the collar of her duster and shirt, hoping her hat would deter the wind from her face. Nevertheless, the cold morning wasn't enough to stop her from achieving her goal, and with a burning determination and with an insatiable sense of trigger twitch, she kicked her horse into a gallop as she passed Ojo del Diablo. Gypsy followed the winding road freely, unaffected by the cold air and excited to be out of her stall. Up until that point, neither horse nor rider had ridden out alone without Rickett's permission and protective presence- Maddie knew she was breaking a cardinal rule, and the realization of doing so was both exhilaration and frightening at the same time. Ever since she'd arrived in Chuparosa, she'd been under Landon's constant paternal vigilance and guidance.

 _Well, it's about damn time I got out from underneath his possessive claws_ , Maddie thought with a roll of her eyes. She scoffed as she recalled all the times he reminded her not to leave town without him. _Not this time, old man. I'll prove to you I can handle myself. I'll bring in that_ criminale _and show you just how grown up I am._

And yet, as her horse flew across the white desert sand, she couldn't help but feel a creeping sense of dread crawl up her gut and seize her throat. Her breath caught in the lump that had developed around the choking hand of rising fear, and she struggled to breathe as she neared her destination, Tesoro Azul. She couldn't steady her shaking hands, even as they gripped the reins so hard her knuckles turned white. She shook her head and swallowed her terror down, forcing it to disappear.

 _No, goddamn it, NO,_ she chastised herself. _You can do this. Landon doesn't know what you're capable of. He underestimates you. Now go and show him what you can do._

Tesoro Azul unexpectedly loomed before her, and she stopped her panting filly a hundred yards away from the east gate in the middle of the road. She gawked at the old run-down Catholic mission, noting how dilapidated and infested it looked. The place looked sickly, and she knew why: Alejandro and his gang had made it their home nearly two days ago.

 _He'll be busted up and thrown in a jail cell after I'm through with him_ , she thought as she walked her horse forward. Her left hand held the reins while her right rested on the butt of her pistol. To reassert herself, she lifted her chin, inhaled through her nose, and exhaled through her mouth. As she breathed, her focus began to sharpen, just as she had been taught by her tutor and father figured, the man whom she ironically was disobeying the gate. When she was fifty feet away, the horse halted and tried to turn back around, but Maddie reined her back around spurring her sides.

"Enough of that," she whispered harshly to her mount. "We're not turnin' back now, not when we're already here. Walk on, Gypsy."

Reluctantly, the rocky mountain filly took a step forward. She glanced back at her rider and flicked her ears back.

Maddie urged her forward with another nudge of her spurs. "Walk. On."

The filly tossed her head and half-reared.

"Goddamn it," Maddie spat as her mount landed back down on all fours. She dismounted and led her horse off the road and ground-tied her behind a large boulder out of sight. She pointed to her mount and growled, "We're gonna work on that bad behavior when we get back, little missy." The horse responded with another toss of her head and a nervous nicker.

With a huff, she turned and faced the gang hideout, suddenly feeling incredibly insignificant now that she wasn't horseback. Before her, Tesoro Azul towered, despite its decayed state. Swallowing thickly, Maddie walked forward and drew her pistol. The loud click of the toggle cracked through the morning silence as she flicked it up to load the firearm. Her breath clouded before her, and she suddenly remembered being cold. She took a moment to glance up at the sky and marvel at the glorious sunrise, and with it, the world was splashed with beautiful pastels as a new day began. The pinks, reds, yellows, and oranges cast themselves upon the white walls and sand and reflected them back out onto the world, lighting it up in a dazzling brilliance that gave the young girl pause in her mission. She allowed herself a second to appreciate the beauty around her with a soft smirk before she resumed her toughened composure. She held her gun at the ready as she approached the gates of Tesoro Azul.

Her frightened, heavy breathing was the only sound as she came to stand before the thick wooden doors. She took a moment to look around and access the situation. _I wonder why there are no guards_ , she thought to herself. She frowned with suspicion. _Something's not right… But maybe they're all asleep inside and haven't gotten around to guard duty yet. That's probably what's goin' on._

She flinched and looked back over her shoulder when Gypsy pawed the ground and whickered anxiously. Horse and rider exchanged frightened gazes before Maddie turned her attention back to the task at hand. She furrowed her brow as she looked over the gates. With her gun still at the ready, she turned and walked around to the side of the hideout, sneaking alongside the wall as she searched for a way in.

It was almost too easy: a stack of barrels was nestled up against the wall, giving her laughably easy access into the hideout. Her heart thundered in her chest and her breath grew to a pant as she landed on the other side. Immediately, she rushed over to the nearest source of cover. A small building before her served as her temporary refuge from assumed threats, and she crouched down beside several barrels that were placed right alongside the back of the building. With her pistol at the ready, she took the time to slow her breathing and get a sense of her surroundings. She scanned the area around her and saw no one. When she felt confident to move, she snuck over to the edge of the building and peered around the corner.

Her blood thundered through her veins, drowning out most of the silence in the hide-out as she strained to listen for anyone stirring about. She searched the short alley between the building she hid behind and the one next to it before looking forward at the opposite end of the courtyard. As far as she could tell, no one was awake. If she didn't know any better, she would've taken this place as deserted.

 _No_ , she thought with a slight shake of her head. _No, they're around here…somewhere. I just gotta find 'em before they find me._

She scrambled forward and hid behind several stacked crates alongside the other building, where she stayed for two long minutes, listening and observing. Her heart still raced, and her breathing rushed to catch up. Her gun shook in the air beside her shoulder as she held it at the ready. She shook her head at her unsteady hand and her cowardly nerves.

 _Goddamn it_ , she thought to herself, _what's wrong with you? You've prepared yourself for this for God knows how long. You know how to shoot. Just breathe and think._

She took her time breathing deeply and clearing her head before she opened wide her senses. Somewhere nearby, men lay snoring. Further on, a horse blew and pawed the ground. A fire popped and crackled—a large building on the other side of where she knelt glowed with firelight. _There_ , she thought. _There's where they're probably at_. She glanced around, making sure she was clear as she rose to feet. She abandoned her cover and kept low and attentive as she jogged across the courtyard and hid behind a small building like the one she'd left. Kneeling once more, she kept her shoulder close to the wall as she snuck around to the back and around the corner.

She stopped dead in her tracks as she met an adversary. His back was turned to her, and from the looks to it, he had awoken some time ago to urinate. Maddie froze, both disgusted and embarrassed to catch him in the of such a private moment. _Shit! What do I do here? Do I shoot him?_ She pointed her gun and stood up, her index finger hugging the trigger. _Wait…the gunshot would wake everyone else. Fuck!_

Before she could decide, the man finished up, tucked in, and turned around. Caught off-guard, he flinched, threw his hands up, and stared wide-eyed at her. He looked just as surprised to see her as she did him.

Maddie then made her decision as she stepped closer to him, her gun still pointed at his chest. As much as she tried to come off threatening, she stuttered, " _N-N-No se m-mueven. Si usted habla, u-u-usted muerte._ _¿_ _C-Comprende?_ "

The man did exactly as she ordered: He froze in his spot, clamped his mouth shut, and nodded in affirmation.

 _"_ _¿_ _Donde esta Alejandro Velazquez?"_

He jerked his head backwards to the large building behind him. Maddie glanced over his shoulder and flicked her gaze over the building, looking at it long enough to realized it was once a mission building: the cross perched atop it gave her even more reason to believe it was so. Directing her attention back at the man, she motioned with her gun to move forward. Without a word, the man led her slowly to the front of the building and around the corner.

The second they rounded the corner and walked towards the front entrance, the man did the unexpected. Almost faster than she could see and react to, he turned around while simultaneously drawing his gun. Maddie shot first, ruining all chances of stealth and condemning herself to the mercy of the rest of the gang. The man fell dead on the steps before her as the rest of the gang within the mission building jerked awake, sprang to their feet, and grabbed their firearms.

"Shit!" Maddie shrieked and sprinted away back across the courtyard. She took cover behind the stack of crates she'd hidden behind earlier. The second she slid behind them, the crates were pelted with a storm of bullets and buckshot. She screamed in terror, not anticipating the sheer amount of gunfire, nor her absolute terrible luck. As she balled up into a fetal position, she flinched and yelped with each gunshot. Angry shouts and taunts were shot her way as well, jeers so nasty that she almost teared up from them. Though she wasn't fluent in Spanish just yet, what she could pick out made her cringe and shiver.

A blaze of searing pain erupted in her shoulder suddenly, and with a shriek of surprise and agony, she looked down and saw blood trickling down her arm. Panicking, she scrambled to her feet and darted for the far side of the building she'd first hid behind, but her right leg buckled underneath her as a bullet dug itself into her calf. She fell to the ground with a scream of excruciation.

A strong hand suddenly grabbed her by the back of her duster and drug her across the ground towards the corner of the building. Maddie screamed in terror and tried to free herself from her captor's grasp, but she froze in shock as she met gazes with the old man's steel-grey eyes. They pierced through her as he glared down at her with a cold countenance; his mouth was pulled down into a disappointed frown underneath his mustache.

"L-Landon!" she stuttered through her pain. She shook her head, not comprehending. "How did you—"

"I don't want to hear another word from that lyin' mouth of yours, Madeline Ross," he growled back in his gritty voice. He pressed his shoulder against the wall and held his revolver at the ready as he glanced around the corner, quickly accessing the situation and doing a headcount of all the men he had to take down. When he turned back to her, he said, "When this is over, you and I are gonna have one serious talk. Until then, you stay right the hell there."

Maddie nodded curtly and grimaced as her bullet wounds seared. She'd never felt the blazing excruciation of a gunshot wound before, and at that moment, she felt on the edge of unconsciousness. Nausea seeped into her stomach and crept up her throat; her head swirled, and her vision blurred. All the while, Landon, and the gang members exchanged gunfire. Each time Landon stepped around the corner and fired, a scream of pain followed. Somewhere nearby, an explosion sounded, followed by the crackling of fire. Another round of bullets cracked in the morning; several screams accompanied.

Sometime during the shoot-out, Maddie lost consciousness.


	9. Chapter 9: Life Lessons

When she had awoken, the world was a blur of color and a flash of red-hot pain—her right calf and left shoulder flared with the worst pain she'd ever felt before in her life. Her enervated body lay in a bed, and as far as she could tell, she was back in her room. As she struggled to lift her head and look about, a soft hand touched her shoulder.

"Don't," the scruffy voice advised. "You'll only tire yourself more. Just relax. You're safe back in Chuparosa."

Through the searing pain, she muttered, "Where…? What happened?" She tried to sit up, but a wave of exhaustion and vertigo caused her to fall back onto her bed.

Again, Landon's hand touched her shoulder, now more forcibly. "Don't move, I said." He sighed greatly. "What the hell were you thinking, Madeline?"

Maddie sighed as well and screwed her eyes shut. _Here we go_ , she thought begrudgingly.

"Do you have ANY idea what you were doing?!" he scolded, his voice rising in pitch and volume with his anger. "It's a damn good thing I showed up when I dead; otherwise, you'd be dead right now. Did I not specify that you were to NEVER leave Chuparosa without me, much less go out on your own like you so stupidly did and go after a bounty that you were so clearly not ready to pursue? _¡Dios mio, mi niña! ¿Por qué me desobedecen?_ "

The injured young woman weakly opened her eyes and blinked stupidly up at her angry mentor, not comprehending his last question.

"Why did you disobey me?" he translated bitterly, his eyes penetrating hers.

She momentarily forgot her pain as shame forced her deeper into the mattress. She averted his gaze as she replied, "I…I wanted to show you I could take care of myself…and that I was ready."

" _Usted es un niño_."

His words stung; she bit down on her bottom lip.

" _¿Por qué no escuchar a mi?"_

" _Yo le escucho, pero estoy…_ " She trailed off when she couldn't translate her argument, so she answered, "I _do_ listen to you, but I'm tired of bein' stuck here and not doin' what I've been trainin' for."

Landon's frown deepened. "Maddie, I tell you to stay here because _you could_ _ **die**_ outside these walls. There are men out there who would _rape_ and _kill_ you if given the chance. _Do you want to give them that chance?_ _Niña_ , if you keep up this foolish mission to prove yourself to me, all you'll do is end up regretting it. You'll be killed in no time if you keep letting your emotions get the best of you." He shook his head. "You're too goddamned hot-headed."

She opened her mouth to shoot back an angry retort, but his expression caused her to clamp her mouth shut and swallow down her response.

"So, you think you're ready to go after an entire gang all by yourself, eh?" Landon demanded as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest. He looked down at her with all the authority of a father to his daughter. "Maddie, you're _nowhere near_ the skill you so desperately needed and didn't have this morning. I saw it all: you froze up and cowered behind those crates the second the shooting started. You would've been shot up to hell if I wouldn't have drug you away from all that."

Wincing from the sting of his words and the flare of her wounds, Maddie squirmed and tried to get into a more comfortable position her injuries would allow. She recalled in her last moments of consciousness that Landon had relinquished his cover to shoot down all the gang members in a matter of seconds. She remembered staring up in awe at her rescuer and adopted father, and a pang of jealousy and bitter respect stabbed her wounded pride just then as she glanced up at her mentor. She swallowed hard as tears welled in her eyes; they trickled down the sides of her face as she stared dejectedly up at the ceiling.

She gasped as a red-hot flash of pain seared her right calf, right in the center of her gunshot wound. She screamed as she looked down and saw Landon dabbing her wound with a warm, damp cloth, cleaning the blood and debris that had collected around and in it. She sucked in air through clenched teeth as he tended to her wound. When she could stand the pain no more, she squirmed and jerked away, shrieking, "Stop! It fuckin' HURTS!"

The old man gave her a terse look. "It isn't that bad, Madeline. Now quit playing it up and lay still. I have to put some salve on it and wrap it up."

"No! No, it hurts too damn much!"

"You don't know what a bad gunshot wound is, girl. I've been shot countless times and have never once whined or complained as much as you are right now." Landon shook his head as he retrieved a can of salve and clean bandages sitting on the bed beside him. "Yes, this hurts, Maddie. It's _gonna_ hurt, _idiota_ , but what did you expect?" He rubbed the salve on her wound with one of the clean cloths before wrapping up her calf and tying it tightly, making Maddie whimper. "You don't know what a bad gunshot wound is until you've been in an actual gunfight. You ever heard of the Blackwater Massacre? I was there, Maddie, and I got shot up worse than you are right now. You wanna whine about pain? Try getting shot up in five different places while you're fighting for your life and shooting men left and right. I was sloshing through _puddles_ of blood and stepping over piles of dead bodies while I fought for my life. Only after you're done and experienced all that will I tolerate or even _allow_ you to cry and whine."

Maddie grit her teeth as he pulled aside her shirt and began cleaning her shoulder wound. Hot tears trickled down her face once more as she hissed, "Not all of us can be as great of a gunslinger and legend as you claim to be, Ricketts."

Landon glared down at her. " _Don't_ go blaming me for _your_ mistake. _You're_ the one who ran off and got yourself shot. _You're_ the one who wanted to be a bounty hunter, so get used to this."

In the fuming silence, Maddie glared up at the ceiling, her breath coming in pained pants and her hands gripping the bedsheets so hard her knuckles turned white as Landon cleaned, dressed, and bandaged her other wound. The tears continued to flow down her face despite Landon's disapproval; it couldn't be helped as she lay there whimpering and moaning.

As soon as he was done, Landon picked up the bloody bandages and stood up. He looked down at her as he said, "When you've healed up and regained your strength, I'm gonna put you to work. You're gonna learn to not give into your fear, and you're gonna harness that hot-headedness and use it to your benefit. _¿Comprende?_ "

Maddie blinked away the tears and took a deep breath. She looked up at him and said, " _Como quieras, mi maestro_."

For the first time since she'd regained consciousness, Landon smirked down at her. He nodded his approval and said, " _Muy bien, mi niña_." With that, he turned and left her room, leaving her to fester in her own thoughts and pain.

The salve Landon had put on her wounds stung at first, but eventually the pain ebbed to a bearable throb. Had she the ability to do so, Maddie would've gotten out of bed, walked to the _cantina_ , and had her fair share of tequila to dull the hot throb in her calf and shoulder. With a sigh and a miserable moan, the young woman closed her eyes and tried her best to relax and breathe through the pain.

* * *

 _Her four-year-old fingers grasped and groped the legs and belly of the white mare as she tottered underneath her; she giggled as the mare lowered her head and breathed in her scent, watching the small human walk around to her back legs and underneath her long tail. The toddler laughed and smiled as she played with the long hairs, disappearing into it like a curtain._

 _"Madeline! Madeline Anne Ross, where did you go, little lass?"_

 _The little girl continued to play in the horse's tail and giggled as the mare swished it about, just out of her small reach._

" _Madeline! There you are, my girl!"_

 _The toddler felt herself being picked up and hoisted onto someone's waist. She met gazes with her mother, a vibrant pair of green eyes that looked upon her with such affection and warmth. Her mother smiled down at her, her beautiful face lit with the love she had for her. Her long dark hair flowed behind her, reaching her hips and waving in the breeze._

" _You're quite the sneaky one, aren't you?" Irene Ross chortled as she held her little girl close, balancing her on her hip. Her green dress swayed in the breeze as she looked from her daughter to her horse and back and asked, "Are you over here keepin' my Isabelle company?"_

 _The girl nodded exuberantly and said, "Yeah, Mama." She looked at the horse as she turned and walked up to her and her mother, ears perked and nostrils flaring. The mare's muzzle dwarfed her miniscule hands as she reached forward with groping, inexperienced fingers and ineptly stroked her muzzle._

"Gently _, my girl," her mother advised. She took her daughter's hand in hers and guided it, petting Isabelle correctly as she gently slid Maddie's hand down the front of the mare's face before lifting it back up to her forelock. She repeated the process several times before she said, "Like this, you see?" She released her daughter's hand and let her pet the mare on her own, smiling as the girl petted Isabelle in a gentler manner. "Well done, my girl."_

 _Maddie continued to pet the white mare, fascinated as the horse's eyes fluttered and half-closed._

" _She's a good girl, isn't she?" Irene asked._

" _Yeah."_

" _You're a good girl, too," she added and kissed Maddie on the forehead before setting her back down. "What say we go for a ride, you and I?"_

 _Maddie giggled excitedly and jumped up and down. "Yeah!"_

" _Isabelle, watch her for a moment," Irene said to the mare before she opened the gate, passed through it, and closed it behind her as she made her way to the barn and disappeared inside it for a short time. She reappeared with a rope halter and lead rope dangling from her hands. She entered the corral once again and slipped the halter onto her horse, then tied the lead rope to the bottom of the halter to create a single rein. Maddie hopped about with joy, and as she was picked back up and placed upon Isabelle's back, she wriggled with glee and giggled. Her little legs stuck straight out against the mare's barrel, and she was barely even able to bend her knees as she bounced her legs against the horse's sides._

 _Irene stood with her left shoulder to Isabelle's right wither as she swung her right leg several times before she leapt up gracefully on top of her back behind her daughter in one fluid motion. She wrapped an arm around her daughter, holding her closer as she adjusted her seat and picked up the lead rope with her other hand._

" _Are you ready, my little girl?" her mother asked._

 _Maddie nodded, and she squeaked with surprise and happiness as she felt the horse move forward underneath her. She felt so high up from the ground, and the smooth four-beated gait of the mare rocked her side to side and forward at the same time as she walked around the corral. The world seemed so much brilliant then: the view from atop Isabelle's back was spectacular, and a feeling of unbridled joy and freedom filled her little body. Her mother's arm kept her safe and in place all the while, and her euphoria grew as the mare transitioned into a trot. The two-beated gait made her laugh as she bounced up and down. The white mare trotted around the corral with a smoothness and grace Maddie could only dream of possessing, but for the time being, she was granted it. Irene reined her mare around the corral, turning her in a figure-eight pattern and circles, giving her daughter a fun first ride and guiding the mare through her warmups. When Maddie laughed at the quick movements instead of becoming fearful like Irene thought she would, she squeezed her heels to Isabelle's sides, and the mare quickened her pace into a lope._

 _Maddie's smile widened, and she began to laugh in delight. She felt as if she was flying loftily, being carried by the wind like a kite in the wind as it swooped up and down with each current. The little girl tilted back her head and spread her arms out, feeling the breeze glide over and under her arms. She was flying, soaring over the plains, flying faster, faster—_

She awoke with a gasp and tears welling in her eyes. Where it not for her wounds, she would've sat up as she ran her hands across her face and let out a sob: the dream—or was it a memory?—was so vibrant that she could still feel the breeze on her face and arms and her mother's warm, protective arm around her.

"Mama," Maddie sighed as she stared up at the ceiling of her room. It took her a second to regain her bearings and remember where she was; her room in Chuparosa was so far away from where that memory was made on her family's farm outside of Blackwater. The vision of her mother's smiling face and loving touch lingered; she clung to it desperately, but as reality enveloped her, a wave of sorrow came with it. Her mother had been dead for almost a year, and yet it seemed like only a day had passed by the strength of her sorrow. She buried her face in her hands and wept bitterly, wishing she could return to the dream and never awake from it. She hadn't had such a strong dream like that in quite a while, and now that it plagued her in her waking life, she sobbed and wailed, her bed quaking from the power of her misery.

For half an hour, she lay in bed sobbing, occasionally tossing and turning whenever her wounds allowed her to. Her heart bled just as it did the day her mother died; she wept just as hard and incessantly. When at last she was spent of all her tears, she lay still, staring up at the ceiling and feeling utterly hollow. She didn't know how long she lay there motionless, and only when Landon entered her room to change her bandages did she flinch out of her despondent trance.

"How are you fairing, little Ms. Spitfire?" he chuckled as he entered her room. His smirk disappeared the second he looked her over. He blinked and cautiously approached her bed. "Maddie? You okay, kid?"

Her nod of affirmation was so subtle he had to ask her again, so she answered, "Yes, I'm fine." Her voice cracked, betraying her, and she cleared her throat and looked to the side as he sat on the edge of her bed with the fresh bandages and the can of salve in his hands.

He looked her over long and hard. "You sure? You look a little—"

"I'm fine, damn it."

"Like hell you are. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong with me, old timer. Just do what you came here to do and be on your way."

Landon frowned and placed a warm, wrinkled hand on her arm. He gave it a comforting squeeze. "You just feeling sorry for yourself, is that it?"

She snorted.

"Well, I can tell you one thing right now, kid: feeling sorry for yourself isn't gonna get you anywhere in life, so it's best to just bite the bullet, suck it up, and keep on going. You're gonna face many struggles in your life, Maddie; you're still young, stubborn, and hot-headed, so you've got plenty of time to figure out that getting up and getting over it is the first step. It's what you gotta do right now, and many, many times over in the future. You understand me, kid?"

She nodded curtly.

"Good," he said and set to work on changing her bandages. The silence between them stung at their skin and the air around them, and the old man was quick to getting his job done in a hurry. When he finished, he stood up and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

 _Getting up and getting over it, eh?_ she thought scathingly as she turned her head and glared at the door. _Well, you can just kiss my ass, old man!_ She huffed angrily as she rolled over on her side, facing away from the door.

* * *

It took Maddie no more than two days of lying in bed and feeling sorry for herself for her to get out of bed and limp into the _cantina_. She went straight to the bar, ordered a shot, downed it, and ordered another one. After she threw back the second, she ordered another, then picked it up and limped outside to the tables on the patio. She was surprised to find Landon and several of the townsfolk sitting at the poker table playing a couple hands of Texas Hold 'Em. Maddie limped weakly over to the nearest table and sat down, being careful not to jostle her wounds about too much as she eased herself down onto a chair. She set her shot down on the table and took a few refreshing breaths, finally able to enjoy fresh air. She looked out past the patio and the broken-down fountain and scanned the goings-on of Chuparosa: the town was as peaceful as ever, with the locals going about their usual business.

She flinched as she heard a chair being pulled out and someone sat down beside her. She should've expected to see the old gunslinger, of course, but she was surprised to see him in a better mood than the last several days. Old master and young apprentice shared a brief glance.

"So, you finally decided to join the rest of us, huh?" Landon asked with a smirk in his voice and a gleam in his eyes.

"I guess," Maddie gruffly replied and picked up her shot. She threw it back hastily, eager to feel the buzz she yearned for the past three days.

"Careful now, _mi niña_. You don't want to drink so much after having lost quite a bit of blood like you did."

"Fuck if I care. My leg and arm hurt like hell, Ricketts, and I'm gonna drink the pain away, if that's all right with you."

His bushy eyebrows narrowed over his grey eyes. "You're sure in a fine mood this afternoon, aren't you?"

"Mm-hmm," she said as she looked back at the bartender and gestured for another shot. The man came out from behind the bar with the tequila bottle in hand, and after he filled her glass, she nodded to the bottle and said, " _Deje la botella, por favor_."

The man blinked down at her, but he complied and left the bottle with her as he returned to the bar.

"So it that what you're gonna do then? Just sit here and drink your pain and anger away until you're healed up?"

"You're goddamned right I am," she answered as she picked up the bottle and refilled her glass.

Landon stood up out of his seat. "Well, I can't say I didn't expect this from you, so I'll leave you to it, I suppose."

"And what about you, _señor_? What will you be doing to pass the afternoon?"

He nodded over to the poker table and smirked. "I'm gonna win some money." He turned and walked back over to his seat at the table and sat down. He picked up his cards and looked around the table at the men and said, "Gentlemen. Let's get back to it, shall we?"

The men nodded, and the game resumed well into the afternoon. Three poker games later, Maddie felt the heavy buzz she'd been desperate for, and the sound of cards being shuffled and coins tinkling and the murmur of Spanish lulled her into a deep sleep.

She jolted awake at the sound of angry men shouting expletives and the slapping of cards against the table. Maddie opened her eyes and looked around, startled and trying to make sense of what happened, but she immediately understood as she looked over and saw Landon beaming triumphantly at all the men he'd bested.

"I fold," one of the men grumbled as he slapped his cards to the table.

Another man did the same as he said, " _No tengo nada."_

As the third man folded, Landon chuckled triumphantly and scooped his winnings towards him. "Gentlemen, gentlemen, I thank you. Oh yeah." His smile brightened as he looked up and met eyes with John, who had stopped before the poker table. He gestured to the _gringo_ and said, "Hey, Mister Marston. How you keeping, sir?"

"Just fine, thank you," he replied. "And you?

"Very well, sir. Thank God my wife died. Unlucky in love, lucky in cards." The old motioned to the nearest boy who worked the tables and said, " _Garçon_ , champagne for everyone!"

The bald man with the black mustache impatiently tapped his foot on the ground and growled, "Keep playing, Mister Ricketts."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Herr Müller. I'll keep playing you in servitude for the rest of your life on earth, if that makes you happy! Yes, I shall indeed, sir."

Müller angrily gestured to him. "Well then, your deal."

Ricketts chuckled as he grabbed the deck and looked back up at John. "Oh, Marston, would you like to join us?"

"I don't think so," John replied with a small dismissive shake of his head. "I'm just going to have a drink."

Landon beckoned for him to sit. "Oh, come on! Sit down, sit down."

"Okay then, gentlemen," the gringo replied and took a seat to the left of Müller.

" _Na mach schon!"_ the bald man said impatiently, and another round of poker began. The stranger posted a small blind of five, while Manolo posted ten. Müller folded, and as he tossed his cards on top of the table, he grumbled, "What convenient timing for a friend to join, Mister Ricketts. I'll be watching you."

Landon picked up the deck of cards and dealt out the cards. "Mister Marston, I hope you realize you're in the presence of one of the keenest German minds in all of Mexico."

Maddie watched as the poker game commenced, her sleepiness wearing off, now that the _gringo_ was around. She blinked when he raised the stakes and bet all in, which caused Landon, the stranger and Manolo to fold immediately. John grinned as he won the round.

"Both as lucky as each other, how interesting!" Müller sarcastically commented as the stranger picked up the deck and dealt out the cards for the next round.

A smirk crossed Landon's lips as he replied, "You know what I always say, Müller: if you find yourself in a hole, it's best to stop digging."

The game continued for a few moments longer…before Marston won a second time.

As the third round was about to progress, Müller looked about the table. His eyes came to rest accusingly on John. "You fucking cheat!" he said as he slammed his cards down on the table.

"Excuse me?" John asked as he looked at him.

"You fucking looked at my fucking cards, you fucking cheat."

"Now, Herr Müller, let's calm down," Landon piped up. "There must be some mistake."

Müller flicked his beady eyes to Landon. "There is no mistake. Your Yankee friend here is a _fucking cheat_."

"Easy there, Germany," John said, eyebrows lowering in irritation. "Calm yourself down."

The German turned his attention back to him. "Oh yeah... you know exactly what you did."

"Yeah, I know exactly what I did, friend, which was _nothing_. Now, I'd prefer it if we could all play a friendly game and no one get hurt."

Müller glared accusingly over at Landon. "You, you planted this guy, Ricketts."

"Now, why would I do that? I've already beaten you. Now, calm down and let's finish the game."

"There is no more card game!" Müller concluded as he stood and drew his gun.

"Ease up there, friend," Landon said as he stood and drew his gun on him. The moment he stood, everyone else at the table did the same, with John aiming his gun on Müller, the stranger on John, and Manolo on Landon. Despite her leg, Maddie stood and drew her gun as well, pointing it at the back of Müller's head. She kept all her weight on her left leg as she waited for what would happen next.

An awkward pause settled over the stand-off as the men looked at one another.

"There must be a name for this," Müller commented.

"An impasse, sir," Landon replied and winked at him. "An impasse. We can all die, here and now."

The German glared at him. "I'm not fighting you, Ricketts." He nodded to John. "But the Yankee. Him I don't like."

All trace of humor was swept away from Landon's voice as he growled, "He's done you no harm, Müller."

"He's done me no good, either! Outside, winner takes the pot."

"The winner will take what he wants. The other man will be in no position to argue."

"Sanchez will be my second."

"As you wish, Germany," John finalized. "As you wish."

Slowly, the men holstered their guns, and the group dissipated as Müller and John moved outside to duel. Maddie returned her pistol to its holster and leaned against the back of her chair by her right hand, wincing in pain and glaring down at her leg. _If it weren't for this damn wound, I'd be out there, too_ , she thought with a grumble.

She watched with rising jealousy as her mentor hastened to catch up to John, and as he came up to him, she heard him say to the _gringo_ , "Walk with me, John. I want to make sure you know how this is gonna work. A duel is all about timing. If you pull your gun too soon, you'll be less accurate. After you draw, pick your shots carefully, like I showed you. Once you've picked your marks, the rest, my friend, is in the hands of fate."

Landon came to a stop by the stone steps and the broken-down water fountain, and he watched as John walked out into the road and faced Müller from ten paces away. The _gringo_ seemed unaffected by the German's taunts as he shouted, "Let's get this over with! You should have stayed home, Yankee!"

The town grew eerily silent as all eyes turned to the German and the American facing off in the middle of the street, their knees slightly bent, feet shoulder-width apart, and their hands hovering over their pistols. Maddie limped as quick as she could over by the wall of the fountain and leaned against it, her eyes glued to the duel about to happen. All activity in Chuparosa paused in anticipation of who would come out the victor. The wind sighed through the streets…

In a matter of seconds, it was all over. Before Müller could draw, John had gunned him down where he stood, and as the _gringo_ straightened up from his bent dueling stance, Landon chuckled, "Old Müller always did play his cards too early. Come on, we've earned ourselves a drink. I think Mr. Müller is buying."

Maddie limped back to her seat as John and Landon made their way back to the _cantina_ , ordered their drinks, then sat down at the poker table.

John raised his glass and toasted, "Your health." Landon smirked as he clinked his glass with the _gringo's_ and the two lifted their cups to their mouths. Before they could enjoy their well-earned victory drink, the strange man returned, holding a young woman at knifepoint. The men leapt to their feet and hovered their hands over their guns in preparation as the stranger shouted, "You! The man they call Marston, _sí!_ You like killing? Watch me cut her throat."

"Nice friends you got here, Mister Ricketts," John grumbled as he glanced at him.

" _Tú y yo, Marston. ¿Eh, peleamos ahora, eh?_ We fight now!"

The stranger sheathed his knife and held the poor girl around her neck by his arm as he assumed his dueling stance, with his right hand hovering over his holstered gun. John took a step forward and took his dueling stance as well.

"Careful, Marston," Landon said. "I know that girl."

Once again, a disturbing silence permeated the air around the two dueling men, while the young girl struggled against her captor's grip and said, _"¡Oh, madré mia! ¡No, por favor!"_ Maddie stood and watched helplessly as the men faced off, and like before, John's precision and speed was immaculate—the stranger was dead before he could draw his gun, and the girl dropped to her knees and cowered beside the dead body.

Out of nowhere, a gang of four men appeared and began firing at John and Landon.

"God, can't a man enjoy a drink peace?" Landon demanded as he and John sprinted over to the wall surrounding the fountain. "Smoke these bastards up!" The men ducked behind it as another volley of bullets were fired in their direction.

As John and Landon began exchanging fire with the four _banditos_ , Maddie did as well, honing her sights on the nearest enemy, a man straight across from her hiding behind the opposite wall with his head stupidly poking out just above the wall. Maddie aimed and fired, dispatching the man quickly, and moved her sights to the next target.

 _Just focus, aim, and shoot_ , she thought to herself, and she did just that as she gunned down another man that was hiding behind the wall of the _alcalde_.

Before she could find her next target, the shoot-out was all over as John and Landon took down the last two men and stood up from behind their cover. Their guns hovered in the air for a short time as they looked about to make sure there weren't any other banditos around, and when all was quiet and peaceful, the two men regrouped near the _cantina_. Maddie did the same, limping back to her table and pouring herself a much-needed shot.

"Well, partner, I think we can safely say this poker game is over," Landon said as he and John came to stand before each other. "I must say, you tourists certainly bring peace and prosperity to this land. Then again, I doubt Müller will be missed."

"He wasn't much of a poker player," John replied, and after a brief exchange of amiable countenances, the two men tipped their hats to one another and parted ways.

Maddie threw back the shot and sighed with pleasure. She watched as Landon walked up to her, and as she poured another shot, he came to stand beside her.

"I'd say you deserve that, seeing as you lit those bastards up pretty well," the old man commented as he clapped a hand to her shoulder. "Good job out there, Maddie. I didn't expect you to be so quick to pull the trigger after what you just went through at Tesoro Azul."

"I did what needed to be done, even if I have a few wounds."

"In any case, you did a fine job, miss." He gestured to her chair. "Have a seat; you look like you could use some rest."

She carefully sat down, and Landon pulled up a chair and sat down across from her. He picked up the bottle and took a few refreshing sips, then sat the bottle back down and looked his student over with a countenance she couldn't discern. Maddie leaned forward and retrieved the bottle to pour herself another shot.

"Why are you lookin' at me that way?" she asked.

"Because I'm debating whether to turn you into a true bounty hunter like you've been begging me about."

She blinked. _"¿En serio?"_

He nodded. "You've changed, Maddie. I could tell from the moment you came outside today and sat down. You're tougher, and dare I say it, more stubborn than you were before. And from the way you handled that shoot-out just now, I'd say you're ready for a second chance at this."

Her jaw dropped. "I…I can't believe it. All this time, you've been so adamant on not makin' me out to be a bounty hunter, and yet here you are…."

He chuckled as he bowed his head and nodded in defeat. "I know, I know." He looked back up at her. "But we'll have to wait and see what you're truly capable of as soon as you're healed up. And I want to work with you a little bit more before we even think about leaving town and heading for your first bounty. But you have to promise me something, kid."

"What is it, Landon?"

"Promise me you won't go and pull a stupid stunt like the one you did at Tesora Azul. Promise me you'll heed what I say."

Maddie nodded. "Of course, _señor_."

The old man smirked at her. "Then I'll put you back to work the moment you're up to speed." He picked up the bottle. "In the meantime, let's drink."

Master and student shared a smile as they picked up their drinks.

"To your health," she said as clinked her shot glass to the bottle.

"To yours," he replied before he took a sip and Maddie threw back her shot.


	10. Chapter 10: Setback

The weeks passed, and Maddie's wounds healed. She still walked with a limp, but it wasn't as nearly as bad as it was before. For the first week or so, she took to Landon's heeding of not overtaxing her body, so she spent most of her time at the _cantina_ learning how to play poker, Blackjack, and building her tolerance for tequila. She also broadened her alcoholic horizons with rum, brandy, and _pulque_. She kept pestering Landon for a drag off his cigarettes, to which he continuously refused. She rode her horse as often as her wounds would allow, and she kept target practicing and learning as much as she could from Landon. When her wounds were fully healed, and her limp disappeared, she pleaded with him for a chance at a bounty hunt.

The old man finally gave in one morning over breakfast; Maddie had been whittling away at him day by day, and her unrelenting badgering paid off. "So, is today gonna be the day, _mi maestro_?" she asked as she lifted her coffee mug to her lips. Her gaze never strayed from Landon's face as she drank.

The old gunslinger rolled his eyes as he chewed on his breakfast. After he swallowed, he looked her in the eyes and growled, "I'll say it again, Maddie: only until I say you are ready will we go. Besides, no wanted posters have been po—"

"There was one posted this morning, _se_ _ñ_ _or_. I made sure to check before breakfast." She gave him a sly wink.

"Damn you, Maddie," he replied as he stabbed at his meal with his fork. "You're driving me insane."

"To be fair, you're just as much of a pain in my ass with your constant rebuttals."

Landon snorted. "I suppose so, but someone's gotta keep you grounded—your ambition will be the death of you if you're not careful, kid."

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "I _am_ grounded, Landon. I'm just tired of the same old shit day in and day out. You would be, too, if you were my age."

Landon sighed and looked out across the patio of the _cantina_. He sat mulling over her words for a moment before he returned to his breakfast. After a few mouthfuls, he chewed, swallowed, and looked back at her as he said, "How about we go look at that poster after breakfast, then we'll talk?"

Maddie beamed. "Deal."

"Alright, then."

The rest of breakfast was spent in silence; Maddie made quick work of her food and chugged the rest of her coffee, then sat impatiently waiting for her old mentor to finish up. When he finally did, she eagerly led the way to the _alcalde_ , and they stood before the wanted poster that read: WANTED: SERGIO ABELDE. ASSAULT. LAST SEEN NEAR HENDIDURA GRANDE. $160 ALIVE $80 DEAD. The _Latino_ man was depicted wearing a large palm leaf _sombrero_ with his dark hair hanging below his ears and the nape of his neck.

Maddie grinned up at Landon. "I could use a hundred and sixty bucks right about now."

The old man frowned as he looked over the poster again.

"He's not too far from here, Ricketts. Wouldn't be but a day's ride out."

Landon nodded.

Maddie blinked. "What are you thinkin'?"

"I'm thinking of how terrible a man I am for taking a young girl out on a bounty hunt."

She smiled up at him. "Don't say that—you won't have to worry about me, _se_ _ñ_ _or_. Hell, you probably won't even need to get off your horse. I'll take care of everything."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he said before he pulled off the poster and folded it up. He handed it to her and added, "Get the horses ready and meet me back here in ten minutes. I'm gonna get more ammunition."

" _S_ _í_ _, se_ _ñor_ ," she said, and she ran out of town to the stables and fetched Gypsy and Landon's paint mare. She hastily saddled them, led them back into town, and hitched them before the _alcalde_. Then she ran to her room, where she shrugged on her duster and satchel, stuffing the bounty poster into it. She tugged on her hat and slung her Henry repeater over her other shoulder. She drew her pistol and ejected the clip, making sure it was full, before sliding it back in and returning her gun to its holster. Then she went back to the horses and waited.

Around her, the citizens of Chuparosa continued about their daily routine. Several paused and asked her where she was going, to which she proudly replied, "I'm going on my first bounty hunt. _Se_ _ñ_ _or_ Ricketts is taking me."

Her reply was met with many a criticism: some expressed shock and fear, while most of them with a scoff and a jesting comment. Maddie paid them no heed—she was going to prove them all wrong when she'd be riding back with a bounty tied to the back of her saddle and a smirk on her face.

Before long, Landon came walking with a bandolier and two boxes of ammunition in his hands. As he approached, he held out the bandolier and one of the boxes to her and said, "Here. You're gonna need these if you're gonna be a real bounty hunter."

" _Gracias, mi maestro_ ," she replied as she took them and slung the bandolier over her other shoulder. She hastily filled the bullet loops with the ammunition from the box, then set the box in her saddle bags, and unhitched her horse and mounted up. She watched as Landon mounted as well, and as he gathered the reins in his hands, she asked, "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." He reined his horse in the direction of their destination. "Let's get going. We've got a day's ride ahead of us and a bounty to bring in. Hyah!" He spurred his horse's sides, and the mare took off at a brisk lope out of town, with Gypsy following close behind.

For a time, the duel three-beated gaits of the horses and the rushing wind in the bounty hunters' ears were the only sounds they heard. The quiet anticipation of the hunt had settled between them; their determination and focus replaced conversation as they rode towards Hendidura Grande, taking the main road that wound across Mexico. By mid-day, when they reached Campo Mirada, Landon slowed his horse to a walk and looked at Maddie, who glanced over at him with a dubious countenance and slowed her horse as well.

"You must be nervous," he began, "seeing as this is your first real hunt after your scare at Tesoro Azul."

Maddie shrugged. "A little bit, I suppose, but don't let that fool ya, Ricketts—I am ready this time. I promise."

He nodded as if he expected her answer. "We need to figure out how we're gonna handle this, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_. If you're gonna be a bounty hunter, you need to learn how to approach your targets as smartly and safely as possible. I'll teach you how to do this."

"What's the plan, then?"

"We sneak up to Hendidura Grande, pick out a good vantage point, and start picking off Sergio's men. When he's the only one left, you head in, lasso him, and tie him up. Then I'll help you set him on your horse, and we'll head back to Chuparosa, deliver him to the authorities, and get paid."

"Sounds simple enough."

" _Vamos a ver, se_ _ñ_ _orita. Eso queda por ver_."

They continued at a trot, following the winding roads around the mesas, and as they passed by Hendidura Grande, they picked up speed to not be spotted. Maddie followed Landon's lead as he continued down the road away from the bounty target's last known location. They followed the road as it curved alongside the mesas, steadily winding their way south. Las Hermanas and Sepulcro lay off in the distance to the north, and as they turned south, Maddie looked over at Ricketts and asked, "Where the hell are we going? Shouldn't we be going back? We passed Abelda's hiding spot."

"We're going around the back way to get to him. There isn't any sense in riding into a death trap, _ni_ _ñ_ _a_ , not when there's better and safer alternative routes. Just follow my lead and keep quiet. You'll see what I mean."

She fell silent as she followed her mentor's lead. Before long, they rode past Laguna Borrego, and as the road curved back north, it rose and squeezed itself between two massive mesas. Landon slowed his horse as they approached the pass, but rather than continuing like Maddie assumed he would, he reined his horse off the road out of sight and stopped the mare beside the canyon wall. He ground-tied her on a thicket of bushes and beckoned for Maddie to do the same. She did so and then followed his lead as he continued on foot up the path. As they were about to pass between the mesas, Landon turned sharply to the left and crouched, keeping as close to the wall as possible as he climbed the rise. Maddie followed and stopped alongside Landon behind a line of bushes. The old man looked at her and smirked, then pointed straight ahead of him. She followed his finger, and a hundred yards in front of them, camped out on the ledge of Hendidura Grande, was Sergio Abelda and his gang.

"You see?" Landon whispered. "This is why we went the way we did, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_."

The young girl grinned. "Very wise, old timer," she uttered back. She nodded to the men before them. "So, what now? How do we bag the bounty?"

Landon looked away from her and assessed the situation carefully, his grey eyes darting about. "Alright, here's what we'll do: you're gonna stay here while I go sneak up to that bunch of rocks." He pointed to the second cluster of boulders that sat beside the canyon wall above the camp and the oblivious men. "I'll take the first shot, and after I do, you take the second one with your repeater. We'll take 'em all down except for Sergio. By the time he realizes his men are dead and I have my gun on him, he'll give up."

"And if he doesn't?" Maddie asked.

"One of us will shoot the bastard and be done with it."

She smacked his shoulder with the back of her hand. "I want the full bounty, not half! He's no good to me dead."

He frowned at her. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." He glanced back at the camp to make sure no one there had noticed their presence. He looked back at his apprentice and studied her closely. "You sure you're ready for this?"

It was her turn to frown. "C'mon, Landon. Let's get this done. I told you I'm ready."

"Only one way to find out, now, isn't there?" He winked at her.

She rolled her eyes. " _Basta de esto_."

" _Bien, entonces_. _Quédate aquí y cállate."_

She nodded. " _Buena suerte, mi maestro_."

" _Tú también, mi aprendiz_ ," he whispered and drew his revolver. He cautiously crept forward through the dense thicket, keeping between the canyon wall and the line of bushes that shielded him from view of the criminals camped a hundred yards away. He paused behind the first cluster of boulders, poking his head around to make sure he hadn't been spotted yet, before continuing up to the second batch of rocks that overlooked the campsite.

 _For a man his age, he can sure sneak around quietly_ , she thought with a wondrous shake of her head. She watched as the old gunslinger knelt behind the rocks with his revolver at the ready, then carefully glanced around his cover to choose his first target. He glanced back her way, and the two bounty hunters met gazes. He gave her an encouraging nod, and his countenance solidified to a cold, calculated expression. Maddie took a deep breath through her nose and exhaled out of her mouth. _Let's do this_ , she thought as she reached behind her, grabbed her Henry repeater, slung it over her shoulder, and pressed the butt of the firearm to her shoulder. Once she was ready, she returned the nod to her mentor.

He turned his attention back to the oblivious men below him. He pointed his revolver at the nearest target, one of Sergio's men sitting on his bedroll absentmindedly sipping his coffee. As he lifted his mug to his lips, a single shot rang out, and the coffee mug fell to the ground, spilling its dark liquid atop his bedroll as a growing streak of crimson ran down the man's shirt. He clutched at his chest where the red stain appeared, and a silent scream parted his lips as he fell lifeless to the ground.

"Give it up, Sergio Abelde!" Landon shouted as he shot down another one of his men. "I'm takin' you in!"

As the men scrambled to their feet and hastily drew their guns, Maddie frantically looked for her first target, but the campsite was a blur of bodies, and before she could hone her sights on a man, they had all taken cover behind the boulders and immediately began firing near where Landon had taken cover. The famed gunslinger had already slunk back around the rock before the enemy returned fire, so as far as he could tell, they didn't exactly know where he was, and he took advantage of that as soon as the firing paused. As quick as his old body could move him, he popped out from behind his cover, took aim, and shot down another one of Abelde's men. Several of the _criminales_ shouted in surprise and affirmation, now that they knew who their attacker was, and they hastily returned the storm of bullets. Landon slunk back around the boulder, keeping safe from their frantic fire. Amidst the hail of bullets, he shouted, "What are you waiting for, Maddie?! Take these bastards out!"

The girl blinked and shook herself free of her entranced state. Her index finger hugged the trigger as she aimed down at the cluster of rocks, waiting for the next fool to pop up from his cover. The second she saw a man's head, she pulled the trigger. Blood and gore splattered as the bullet tore through the man's skull, dropping him instantly.

Her small victory was short-lived as the gang returned the gunfire; several bullets flew her way and ricocheted off the side of the canyon wall as she ducked back around it. A yelp of terror leapt up her throat and out of her mouth; a plethora of traumatic images and memories flooded her mind, rendering her immobile as she pressed her back against the canyon. She was back at Tesoro Azul in her mind, whimpering and helpless behind the wooden crates. She couldn't help her racing heartbeat and frantic pants. She stared down at her hands, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the repeater, and her hands began to shake uncontrollably. The urge to run back to her horse and ride away as far as she could overpowered her common sense.

"MADDIE! TAKE THEM OUT! I'M GETTING SLAMMED HERE!"

Landon's angry plea forced her instinctual flight response away in a second; she was back at Hendidura Grande, hearing a volley of gunfire from around the corner of the pass. Her hands still shook, but as she stared down at her firearm, a furious wave of determination flooded her, and she remembered what she was there to do, what she had yet to prove to herself and to the old man who needed her help. She cautiously leaned around the corner, and gasped as she saw Landon pressed against the group of boulders, unable to fire back at the gang that relentlessly fired at him from below.

Landon looked at her just then; the desperate countenance he gave her fueled her resolve further, and she forsake her cover and came around the corner, repeater raised and pointed at the first _criminale_ she saw. Before she knew it, she was dropping the men like the bottles she'd practiced on for so long, and while they certainly didn't explode like her old targets, their cries of pain and shock and the blood splatters made up for it. She walked forward, firing and reloading, picking off her targets with practiced skill and precision, and when she was fifty feet away from the campsite, only Sergio Abelde and what appeared to be his right-hand man were left. Maddie smirked as she aimed at the man beside the bounty target.

Unexpectedly, she lost her footing. As she took another step forward, her right boot fell upon a loose rock that rolled as she placed her weight on it, and in an instant, she was tumbling forward. Her repeater fell out of her grasp as she lurched forward in mid-air, and as she caught herself with her right wrist, a sickening crack erupted from it. She screamed in agony and rolled on her side, cradling her wrist with her other hand.

Her surroundings quickly faded as an unbearable excruciation flared from her right wrist—all she saw, felt, and heard was agony. Someone shouted her name as she lay writhing and whimpering upon the ground. Several shots were fired from somewhere nearby; pained grunts and groans barely reached her ears. She didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like an eternity until Landon came running up to her and knelt by her side.

"What hurts? What happened?"

"My….my wrist! I….I think I b-broke it!" she managed to choke out.

Gingerly, Landon lifted her up into a sitting position. The miniscule movement jostled her wrist, causing her to scream and her vision to turn white. The old man held her forearm as he carefully inspected her injury. " _Hijo de puta_ ," he growled. "We need to get you back to town and have the doctor look at your wrist." He shook his head. "That must've been one hell of a fall."

Hot tears of pain and frustration began to drown her sight and trickle down her face. "N-no! I was…s-so close! We have to…get Sergio into…. custody!"

The old man's bushy eyebrows rose. "You broke your wrist and all you care about is getting the bounty? _Ni_ _ñ_ _a_ , you've got other things to worry about!"

"I've gotta bring…the son of a bitch in, or…I d-don't get paid!"

"Maddie, I'm sorry to say this, but you'll get half of the bounty: I shot him down 'cause I was more worried about you than bringing him in alive. Now c'mon, kid. Let's get you to the doctor."

Maddie was in a world of excruciation from the second her mentor picked her up and carried her back to the horses and up onto her horse. Maddie sat hunched over in the saddle, cradling her right arm against her lap and crying softly as Landon went back to the bloody campsite and retrieved something off Sergio's body that would prove he was dead. He came back holding the dead man's hat and scarf, which he put in his saddle bags. He mounted his horse, and they made the long journey back to Chuparosa. More than once did a nasty curse escape her lips as they walked their horses back to town.

It was almost dark by the time they got back to town. Immediately, Landon sent the nearest person to retrieve the doctor while he carried Maddie into her room and laid her down in her bed. The doctor was quick to arrive and tend to her, even though all he could do was giver her a few shots of tequila and put her arm in a sling. The tequila barely put a damper on her pain, and sometime later that night, she had passed out.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, it was still dark, except for the light emitting from the oil lamp on her nightstand. A dark figure sat in a rocking chair next to her bed—she didn't need to guess who sat watching over her. She groaned as the pain returned with a nasty vengeance; tears trickled down the sides of her face. "Goddamn it," she whimpered. Amidst the flood of pain, a heavy blanket of disappointment and frustration covered her, dampening her spirits further.

Landon stirred in the chair and looked her over. "How you holding up, kid?"

She couldn't bear to look at him, so she tried rolling onto her side so that her back would face him. Unfortunately, her pain was too great, and she was forced to lay on her back and glare up at the ceiling.

"Maddie, talk to me."

"What's there to say, Landon? I've failed in the worst way possible!"

He snorted. "Not necessarily, _ni_ _ñ_ _a_ : you could've been shot and killed. I'd say a broken wrist is better than the alternative, don't you think?"

She covered her face with her left hand. "What does it matter _, mi maestro_? I still failed you, myself, and the goddamn bounty hunt!"

The old man rolled his eyes and gesticulated with a careless flick of his hand. "Oh, come off it. So you had a rough start. Big deal! You remember what I told you? Get up and get over it, and you will. You've just gotta get back up and back in the saddle. Sure, it might take you a while, but you'll get there, and things will get better. They always do, but you've gotta go through some tribulation first. It's life."

She lifted her hand from her face and blinked. "So you're not disappointed or mad at me?"

Landon threw back his head and guffawed. "Maddie, I'm just glad you're alive. Besides, how can I be mad at you for tripping? The ground there was uneven and littered with rocks—it's a wonder _I_ didn't lose my footing."

Maddie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Of course. You can do no wrong, Ricketts."

He shot her a quick glare. "Hush. I'm just more experienced than you. You'll get there, kid, trust me. You just gotta be patient."

Her left hand returned to her face. "If you say so, _se_ _ñ_ _or_."

"It will get better, _ni_ _ñ_ _a_." He leaned forward and patted her good arm. "Get some rest, Maddie. I'll be here when you wake up."

She nodded weakly as she closed her eyes, and despite the pain she was in, a small smirk graced her lips.


	11. Chapter 11: Progress

She could barely lift the semi-automatic pistol; her entire arm shook terribly with exertion. She panted and grunted: while her wound was mostly healed, it still burned, and she grew evermore frustrated with her pitiful efforts to target practice. When her arm gave out and dropped back to her side, her fingers lost their grip on the pistol, and it slipped out of her hand and dropped to the ground at her feet.

Maddie glared down at her quaking arm, looking at it as if it were no longer hers. "God…damn…it," she growled in-between pants.

"Language, Miss Ross," Landon reminded her. Like many times before, he sat upon his throne of crates with a cigarette in his hand and his back against the white wall of Chuparosa.

"Oh, hush it, old man," she growled back as she bent down and picked up her pistol with her left hand. While it felt wrong, it spared her other hand exhaustion. Her right arm was so exhausted after trying to life her gun only twice, but then again, it had been at least two months since her failed bounty hunt, and while the gunshot would wasn't fresh, the memory of her failure was, and she was all the more determined to be able to hold her firearm and fire it once more. However, that proved arduous, especially since she was only now freeing herself of her sling.

Despite her mentor's chastising, she swore, "Jesus Christ, Landon, I feel so damn weak and pathetic." She shuffled over and took a seat beside him, still panting. "This arm ain't gonna be any good to me if I'm gonna be a bounty hunter."

Landon looked her over as he took a long drag of his cigarette. The smoke swirled and coiled up and around the brim of his silverbelly hat as he replied, "You're too impatient, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_ , and dare I say it, too mouthy." At this, he smirked and playfully elbowed her side. "Look, I know you're itching to get back out there and redeem yourself, but you've gotta heal up first. It just takes time, and you've got all the time in the world, kid."

"Yeah, but I'm back to square one! I got good these past months, Landon! All those hours of practice…all wasted because I _tripped_!"

The old gunslinger scoffed. "It was a mistake, Maddie. Things like that happen when you're out on a hunt. You either trip, get shot, get bucked off your horse, get lost out in the wilderness tryin' to find your bounty, or something else happens. That's the way of the game, kid, and you just gotta deal with it once it's happened and then move on. It's that simple."

"That simple, huh?" she shot back as she turned and looked at him. She gestured to him and demanded, "What was your first bounty hunt like, then? Did you get shot, or did everything go just perfect like it always does for you?"

He gave her an admonishing look. "Watch your sass with me, girl. With experiences—both good and bad—comes wisdom. Remember that. And no, my first bounty hunt was an absolute disaster. I almost died. I got shot up twice as much as you did. I barely made it out of there."

Maddie blinked, still not convinced. "Did you get the bounty?"

He shook his head. "It was either I got out of there alive while I could or die tryin' to capture the bounty. I limped back to my horse and rode out of there as fast as I could, and like a coward, I never went back for him. But then again, I couldn't even get out of bed, I was shot up so bad. Hell, I barely made it back to town. I about fell off my horse a couple times."

"Hmm." Maddie turned and stared out across the desert. Fall had quickly descended across the country, bringing cooler days and colder nights. A change in the spirit of the people came about as well, but she couldn't say why, other than being overjoyed by the reprieve of the heat.

"It took me months to recover," Landon continued, lifting the cigarette to his lips once more. The smoke danced across his face as he became lost in his memories. "I don't think I was no older than twenty when I tried to pull off that little stunt. I thought it would've been easy to go after bounties, but Fate proved me wrong that day, and I learned a thing or two."

"And that would be?" Maddie asked as she looked back at him.

"Never go and do something before you're prepared for it, and don't get too cocky." He looked her in the eyes and added, "I think Fate taught you the same lesson; you just gotta let it sink into that hot head of yours."

The girl rolled her eyes and looked away, not even attempting to grace his statement with a sharp rebuttal of her own. Instead, she stood up and walked back to her usual training spot, looking out at the row of glass bottles atop a couple crates. They seemed to taunt her with their inanimate existence, and with a newfound anger and determination, she switched her gun to her right hand and tried to lift it. The gun trembled and waved about in the air before her. When it became too painful and tiring, Maddie gave up and dropped her arm back down with a displeased sigh.

" _Ten paciencia, mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_ ," Landon encouraged. " _Puedes hacerlo_."

" _¿_ _Y si no puede hacerlo?_ _¿_ _Y luego que?"_

" _Puedes, y lo har_ _á_ _s."_

Maddie looked down at her quaking hand and trembling arm and sighed. "It's no use, Landon. I can't do it, even if I wanted to. My arm isn't strong enough."

Landon sighed as well. "Then we're done for today. But we'll keep trying until you can." He rose to his feet and beckoned with a wave of his hand. "Come on, I'll buy you a shot of tequila for your efforts as least."

She scoffed as she stood up. "Save your money, Ricketts. My efforts aren't even worth a _peso_."

He clapped a hand to her shoulder and gently shook her. "Oh, hush it, kid. Don't get discouraged. Things will get better with time. _Ten fe y paciencia_."

"I'm gonna need more than faith and patience if I'm ever gonna get back to where I was," she replied as she and Landon ambled back into town and headed for the _cantina_.

* * *

"Steady it, Maddie. There ya go, kid. Now, hold it there… Steady…"

Maddie gritted her teeth; the pistol shook in the air before her as she struggled to keep it aloft and pointing at the row of bottles. "I'm… _trying!"_ She could feel her arm growing enervated; the gun shook and wavered in front of her.

"You're at half a minute," her teacher informed. "Keep it going."

After two weeks, her arm was just starting to get stronger. At first, she could only hold it up for ten seconds at a time, but she gradually improved as her arm healed. Nevertheless, the activity of drawing her pistol and firing it, much less holding it up, still proved strenuous. Where once it was like child's play was now a tiresome chore.

At last, her arm fell to her side, quaking. The young girl stood panting and shaking her head, ashamed. "Goddamn it. This isn't gonna work. There's no way I'm gonna be as good as I used to be."

The old gunslinger shifted his weight atop his usual sitting spot. "Sure you will. You just have no patience to see it through."

She glared at him. "What would you have me do, _se_ _ñ_ _or_?"

An amused grin cracked his stoic countenance. "Besides try to have patience?"

She nodded exasperatedly.

For a time, he was silent as he ruminated. "You ever heard of being ambidextrous?"

She blinked. "Isn't that where you can use both hands for something, like writing?"

"Or shooting with both hands." He nodded to her and suggested, "Try shooting with your left hand. Get your left hand good and sighted in while your right arm heals. That'll give you something to work towards, besides being frustrated."

Maddie furrowed her brow as she switched her pistol from her right hand to her left. Everything about holding her firearm in her non-dominant hand felt wrong, god-awful even, but she raised the pistol anyways and aimed at the row of bottles fifty feet in front of her.

"I'm back to step one…again," she sighed, and squeezed the trigger.

The gun kicked back, and she blinked when it almost smacked against her forehead.

"Be ready for that recoil, girl," Landon said. "Focus on retraining your body. Everything's new again, I know, but trust me on this one. Let's just see if you can handle a gun with your left instead of your right."

For the rest of that day, Maddie practiced…and practiced. Many a bullet was used as she steadily became accustomed to the weight and feel of her gun in her left hand, and by the end of the day, she cleaned up a pile of empty cartridges and her left arm was sore. Regardless, when she went to bed that night, a slight smirk found itself upon her face. Progress was being made, even if it wasn't the way she intended it to be.

* * *

" _Pa?" she called out. "Pa, where are you?"_

 _Her question reverberated throughout the farm house and came back to her unanswered. Maddie frowned, knowing all too well where her father was. She glanced at the grandfather clock in the living room as she passed through the room—it was only two o'clock in the afternoon._

Guess he started early today _, she thought as she turned and headed for the front door, grabbing her coat off the rack as she did so. She shook her head as she shrugged her coat on._ This is the third time this week…

 _The fall breeze greeted her with a brisk blast to her face as she opened the door; she shivered as it sapped the heat from her petite fourteen-year-old frame. She didn't pay any attention to the October winds; what she had on her mind, what she was about to go do again, was all that mattered to her._

 _She quietly closed the door behind her, walked down the porch steps, strolled past the chicken coop, and around the cow pen to the barn and corral. She sighed with disappointment when her father's grey gelding didn't amble up to her alongside Gypsy and Isabelle. The rocky mountain filly and flea-bitten grey mare came up to the fence with pricked ears and amiable nickers, expecting a treat and a scratch._

 _Maddie headed into the barn and fetched her horse's tack. Catching and saddling Gypsy took no less than ten minutes, and soon, she found herself riding down the road to Blackwater. The fall air stung her face and hands; the wind howled in her ears as the filly galloped down the road. Maddie didn't need to guide her horse: both females had made the same trek many times before._

 _The horse slowed to a trot as they entered Blackwater, and as she neared the saloon, she eased to a walk. Maddie guided her to the nearest hitching post; anger boiled in her veins as she found her father's gelding tied there, and after she hitched Gypsy, she turned and stomped over to the saloon, ignoring the stares of the locals as she passed them and pushed the double doors open with an angry shove._

 _She found him where she knew she would, standing slumped over the bar with a shot of whiskey in his hands. The regular drunkards sat about at the tables; some of them stared dumbfounded at her, and others shook their heads._

 _The bartender looked up as she approached and gave her a sad smirk. "How's it goin', Miss Maddie?" he asked, though he already knew the answer._

" _Could be better, I suppose," she uttered as she came to stand beside her father. She placed a hand on his forearm and looked him over. "Pa? You okay?"_

 _He slowly came to life at her touch and voice, straightening up and swaying slightly as he half-turned and looked down at her. He was certainly drunk, a state she saw him in more than usual the past couple months. His eyes held more sorrow and pain than he knew what to do with._

" _Pa, you should come home," she suggested, though it sounded more like a terse command. "Chores still have to get done, and I need your help."_

 _Phillip Ross sighed and looked at the shot in his hands. "I thhhhhought you were gonnnnna stay at home."_

" _I could say the same to you, but here we are."_

" _I'm sssssorrry, Mad'line. I wasn't thinkin', I s'pose."_

" _Seems like that's been the norm for you lately, Pa." She wrapped an arm around the crook of his elbow and gently pulled him away from the bar. She looked at the bartender and said, "Just put it on his tab. I'll pay for it soon."_

 _The bartender sighed and nodded, looking her over with a sympathetic glimmer in his eyes. Maddie felt his gaze on her as she turned her father around and helped him out of the saloon, across the road, and over to their horses. Maddie placed her father by the hitching post while she unhitched his horse._

" _Okay, Pa, do you think you can mount up by yourself this time? Or do you need my help?"_

"' _M….I'm okay," he mumbled. He took one step to the side to walk around the hitching post and fell face-first upon the ground at his horse's feet._

 _Maddie gasped and rushed to her father's aid, gently shaking him. "Pa, are you all right? Pa?!"_

 _She attempted to wake him, but he was passed out cold. Panic set in, and she screamed out for help. In no time at all, a handful of Blackwater policemen on horseback rounded the corner and came loping up to her._

 _A familiar voice reached her ears. "Maddie? What's going on?"_

 _Through the tears that blotted her vision, she saw her uncle Edgar dismount his horse and jog up. As he knelt beside her, he checked Phillip over and asked, "What happened?"_

" _He just f-fell over, and he's n-not waking up," she replied through her panicked sobs._

" _Easy there, Maddie. Steady now. He's just passed out is all." Edgar looked up at his fellow policemen and said, "Get him up on his horse. We'll tie him to the saddle."_

 _While his men obeyed him, Edgar held his weeping niece in his arms, assuaging her and eventually stopping her tears. Once Phillip was secured to his saddle, Edgar barked, "You two carry on with patrol. I'll get Maddie and my brother home safe." Then he mounted his horse and ponied Phillip's horse behind his. Maddie quickly mounted Gypsy and followed her uncle and unconscious father out of Blackwater and back to their farm._

 _The ride back was quiet, save for the plodding of the horses' hooves on the dirt road. Maddie kept a close eye on her father; she shook her head as she studied how slouched he was over the saddle, his head and shoulder leaning against his gelding's neck. Were it not for the occasional snore that escaped his agape mouth, Maddie would've guessed he was dead._

 _As soon as they arrived at the farm, Edgar and Maddie hitched their horses by the barn. The young girl stood aside as she watched her uncle untie her unconscious father and carry him up into the house and across the couch in the living room. Without a word, they unsaddled the horses, did chores, and returned to the house to check on Phillip._

 _Worry blossomed in Maddie's chest as she studied her father sprawled helplessly across the couch. She felt tears begging to be released, but she held them at bay as she said, "I've never seen him so bad, Uncle Edgar."_

 _Edgar ran a hand over his face and shook his head. "Me neither, Maddie, but we've got to do something, or else you'll be an orphan soon. I fear my brother is going to drink himself to death, and I for one will not stand for that. Maddie, I want you to find all the alcohol in this house and burn it. Can you do that for me, for your father?"_

 _She nodded and stood up. "Let's get to work, then."_

The memory faded back into the dark recesses of her mind, alongside the many other memories she kept locked and hidden from her conscious as she stood studying what the people of Chuparosa had built beside the fountain. It looked like some sort of altar, adorned with photos of people, marigolds, the finest Mexican food and bottles of tequila, trinkets, and other memorabilia. In the dying light of dusk, it was illuminated with the ethereal glow of hundreds of candles that dotted it. At the foot of the altar, thousands of marigolds littered the ground and formed a pathway leading to the edge of town.

She turned her head as she heard footsteps approach her from behind. Landon came to stand beside her, and he placed a warm, wrinkled hand on her shoulder as he looked the altar over with a storm of mixed emotions dancing across his aged face.

" _Mi maestro_ ," she began, nodding to it, _"_ _¿_ _que es?"_

" _Se llama_ _ofrenda_. It is an altar honoring loved ones passed."

"What for?"

He smirked at her. " _Día de los Muertos está sobre nosotros_."

" _¿_ _Día de los Muertos?"_

"It is a Mexican tradition that happens around this time of year. They invite their departed loved ones back to visit them, and they honor and remember their dead. It a beautiful time of year, and one I hope you enjoy alongside the rest of Chuparosa, and Mexico."

Maddie blinked in succession. "But…why celebrate death?"

He shrugged. "Why not? Death is just as important as life. They are interconnected."

" _No comprende, se_ _ñ_ _or."_

"You will after it is over. Come, let me show you."

Landon called over several women, and after a brief instruction, they led Maddie to her quarters, only to return with a beautiful, elaborately colored traditional Mexican dress. With their help, Maddie slipped on the dress; it fit her wonderfully, much to her chagrin. Then they had her sit on the edge of her bed while, to her amazement and confusion, one of them put makeup on her while the other curled her hair. After an hour, they stepped back and watched her as she stood up and walked over to the dresser mirror.

Maddie blinked and gasped as she discovered her face had been painted to look like a skull, and despite her initial shock and disgust, the longer she looked at herself, the more beautiful and entrancing her new visage had become to her; the red floral patterns painted across her forehead and cheekbones added a morbid beauty. Her hair was curled and pulled halfway back, keeping it out of her face but also tumbling down her back.

" _¿_ _Te gustan?"_ one of the ladies asked.

" _S_ _í_ _, soy muy…bonita,_ " Maddie found herself saying.

" _Bien_ ," said the other woman and beckoned her to follow her outside. " _Ven conmigo, se_ _ñ_ _orita."_

Maddie fell into step behind the women, and once outside, she was met by Landon, who was dressed in a suit. His lips burst apart into an approving smile as he looked her over. He glanced at the two women and said, " _Bien trabajo, muchachas. Gracias._ " He looked back at his apprentice and asked, "So? What do you think?"

The young girl frowned indecisively as she looked down at her dress. "It's a bit much, but…," she looked up at the old gunslinger and admitted, "I kind of like it." She looked out at the town, noticing how bustling it had become in her absence. Men were busy setting up tables and rolling out barrels of alcohol; women worked hard over home-cooked meals. Colorful paper banners had been hung all around, draping over the entrance of the town, around the awning of the _cantina_ , and off the porches and decks of the buildings. Maddie pointed to them and asked, "What are those?"

"Those are called _papel picando_. Beautiful, aren't they?"

She nodded. "What are they for? Decoration?"

"One of many used for _Día de los Muertos_. Come, let me show you."

He led her to the market, where there were more _papel picandos_ hanging. Maddie noticed a handful of women kneading bread and forming sugar into small skulls. Landon pointed them out and said, "You see what they are doing? They're making traditional dishes for the celebration, _pan de muerte_ and what's known as _calaveras_ , or sugar skulls."

Maddie blinked. "Why so many skulls? Do the people like death?"

The old man laughed. " _Día de los Muertos_ is a time of celebration, a time where we all remember the lives of loved ones passed. Death is nothing to fear about—it's just as much worth celebrating as life, and it's just as important." He beckoned her to follow as he turned and headed toward the _cantina_. "Come, let's join in the festivities."

She followed Landon to the _cantina_ ; once inside, they joined a line-up of the townsfolk as they began dishing out food. The bar was full of traditional Mexican food: _mole_ , _tamales_ , _enfrijoladas_ , rice, refried beans, _pan de muerte_ , _calaveras_ , and tequila. Marigolds were littered across the floor and alongside the dishes. At the sight of so much food and drink, Maddie's stomach couldn't help but growl. It wasn't long before she and Landon enjoyed heaping plates of the food and split a bottle of tequila. The food was the best she'd ever tasted, and the tequila even better than before.

"I take it Chuparosa spared no expense for this," she guessed before she took another swig.

Landon took a moment to chew his food and swallow. "This is one of the most important holidays in Mexico, next to Christmas, of course. The people take their time preparing the food and decorations; it's a part of it. After dinner, the real fun starts."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."

"Along with prayers and blessings, there's also music and dancing, and an ever-flowing supply of tequila."

Maddie grinned. "This is gonna be a night to remember."

"Not if you drink too much tequila," Landon chuckled.

"Oh, hush it, old man. I've gotten better at holding my own when it comes to tequila."

"We'll see, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_ ," he replied with a jesting twinkle in his eyes.

As dusk transitioned to darkness, the people finished their meals and made their way to the church, where a giant _ofrenda_ had been built that was twice the size of the one beside the fountain outside. Landon and Maddie accompanied the townsfolk and stood towards the back as the citizens took their turns bringing forth offerings and prized possessions and favorite dishes and drinks of their loved ones passed and setting it around and on the _ofrenda_. Once the last family was through, the people sat at the pews, and then the town's pastor led them in prayer beside the altar. While she wasn't fluent, Maddie could make out bits and pieces of the prayer—she assumed it was Catholic, and that they prayed for their loved ones' souls to return and celebrate alongside them that night, as well as to bless the Holy Virgin and ask for her guidance and protection. The church was aglow with the hundreds of candles scattered across the giant _ofrenda_ and all throughout the building. After the pastor was done and took his seat among the townsfolk, the whispered prayers of individuals drifted about the place, and alongside the heavenly glow from the candles, an ethereal atmosphere was created.

Maddie looked around at all the people praying and remembering their loved ones; she felt tears begin to well in her eyes at the sight of so much reverence, joy, sadness, and many other emotions that flooded the church. Tears began to well in her eyes and stream down her face, streaking her face paint, as memories of her beloved mother inundated her mind. She could picture her mother's face perfectly, her bright emerald eyes, her smiling face, her long hair that shrouded her back and shoulders…She recalled the green dress she used to wear all the time, the way she used to sing Irish songs to her, the times spent in the saddle alongside her mother…

"Maddie? You okay?"

She blinked rapidly and tried to hide her face from Landon as he bent down to look her over.

"You miss your mother, don't you?"

She didn't trust her voice, so she nodded instead. She hastily wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and frowned when she realized she'd ruined her face paint even more—streaks of black, red, and white covered the back of her hand. "Goddamn it," she uttered.

Landon draped an arm over her shoulders and brought her into a hug. "It's okay to miss her, you know," he said softly. "You clearly loved her very much. But do not fret: she is with you tonight. You just have to look for her, feel her presence."

Maddie buried her face in her hands as her grief consumed her. She wept quietly so as not to disturb the peace in the church.

"Shh, _mi ni_ _ña_ ," he cooed as he held her close, stroking her back and hair. "Do not be sad. _Día de los Muertos_ is a time to celebrate her life. Choose to remember how she was when she was alive, not how she died. You will find comfort on this night, I promise."

Minutes passed, and not once did Landon's grip around her loosen as she grieved. It didn't take long, however, for her to excuse herself—her tears had completely ruined the beautiful face paint. Landon released her, though not without hesitation, and he watched as she turned and hastily retired to her room. She washed her face in the basin, and once all the makeup was gone, she dried off with a towel and looked into the dresser mirror. While she was sad to see her painted face gone, it was a relief to know that her grief wasn't so evident, save for her puffy, red eyes. She took a few minutes to compose herself, and when she felt well enough, she stepped back outside to rejoin Landon and the rest of the townsfolk.

What she saw took her aback: no more were people engulfed in sadness and remembrance. Now, an endless flow of tequila and other alcoholic beverages flowed from the barrels at the _cantina_ ; underneath the awning, a _mariachi_ band performed lively Mexican music. The streets of Chuparosa became a large dance floor as the townsfolk mingled, conversed, laughed, sang, danced, and drank in merriment.

Soon, Landon found her and joined her side, with two shot glasses and a bottle of tequila in his hands. He handed her a glass, filled it with the alcohol, then filled his own glass, and raised it to toast. "To our dear loved ones passed, to tonight's celebration, and to our future successes."

Maddie raised her glass, and in unison, she and Landon threw back their shots and sighed with contentment afterwards. It didn't take long for them to get the bottle half-empty, and soon, they were conversing back and forth, reminiscing about Maddie's mother and Landon's wife, remembering the good times they'd had with their loved ones, laughing, smiling, and otherwise enjoying themselves and the night's festivities. And it didn't take long for Maddie, in her happy inebriated state, to become drawn to the mariachi band and the lively, upbeat music they played happy songs they sang. The music beckoned her, pulling her toward the band and the dancers, and soon, she was dancing with reckless abandon, twirling and laughing as the music began to envelop her. She was dancing by herself at first, falling into step of a jig her mother had taught her ages ago. Though the cultures were different, they blended lovely; the lively Mexican music blended well with the brisk Irian dance Maddie performed. Soon, she captured the attention of the people, in more ways than one, and before long, a young and attractive man came up to her. She had finished her dance in perfect synchronization with the last notes of the _mariachi_ , and on her way back to her seat, he approached her.

" _Señorita, un momento, por favor_ ," he said as he caught up with her.

Maddie stopped in mid-stride and turned, panting and sweating from her dance. _"¿Sí, señor? ¿Qué quieres?"_

He gave her a wide, charming smile, seemingly impressed and pleased to hear she could speak his language. He held his hand out to her, half-bowing as he did so, and asked, _"¿Me permite este baile?"_

Maddie blinked and stuttered, "W-With me? Wh-Why?"

"I could not help but watch you dance to the _mariachi_. It would be an honor to dance with you, _se_ _ñ_ _orita_." He extended his hand closer to her and gave her another charming smile. _"¿Bailarás conmigo?"_

She blushed as she hesitantly took his hand. " _Pero, yo…_ ," she paused to try to translate her answer, but when she couldn't think of how to say it, she continued in English, "I haven't danced with someone in a long time."

He gently squeezed her hand in encouragement. " _Es no problemo, se_ _ñ_ _orita_. I will help you."

She let him lead her over to the patio between the _cantina_ and the church. The chairs and tables had been pushed to the side to make room for couples to dance. Once they made their way to the floor, away from the other couples, the young man stopped, turned, and faced her. They took up their positions: Maddie put her left hand on his right shoulder, and he placed his left hand on her right hip. They joined their free hands together, and as the _mariachi_ began to play a slow song, the young man led Maddie into a lovely waltz, in perfect time with the romantic music. As they danced, Maddie couldn't help but take in the young man's features, as did he her. She stared into his dark, sagacious eyes, and admired his well-kempt beard and mustache and his angular, masculine jawline and cheekbones. His face looked familiar—she'd seen him a handful of times around Chuparosa, but she'd never spoken to him, and she felt ashamed for not doing so until now.

He looked as if he was thinking the same thing: he chuckled and said, "It is so good to finally meet you, _se_ _ñ_ _ora_ , after all this time in Chuparosa. _Soy Joaqu_ _í_ _n Ernesto. ¿Cómo te llamas?_ "

" _Soy Maddie Ross. Mucho gusto."_

Joaquín looked deep in her eyes. " _Eres un bailarino maravillosa, s_ _eñora, y eres muy hermosa…como un ángel."_

Maddie blushed deeply and tucked her chin down into her collarbone. _"G-Gracias, Joaqu_ _í_ _n. También eres una bailarina maravillosa."_

He slowed them to a stop before he took his left hand off her waist, only to gently place it under her chin and lift her face so that he could gaze into her eyes. His eyes blazoned with inebriated bravery as he leaned in closer to her and whispered, _"_ _¿_ _Puedo besarte?"_

She blinked. Her heart skipped a beat. _"_ _¿_ _Q-Que?"_

He pulled her in closer as he translated, "May I kiss you?"

"I…umm…"

A sad glimmer touched his eyes as he slightly cocked his head to the side. "Have you _ever_ been kissed?"

She shook her head. She could feel her heart gallop in her chest.

"Such a shame. You're too beautiful to have never been kissed, if I may be so bold."

She didn't know what to say or do as he leaned his face closer to hers.

"Joaquín!" someone shouted angrily. "I think it's time you danced with someone else."

Suddenly, Landon was pulling Maddie away from the brave young man, shielding her away from him. The old man towered over Joaquín, who immediately backed off and kept a safe distance between himself and the intruder. The stare-down lasted only a second, but it was more than enough for the young fool to get the message.

" _P-Perdóname, Se_ _ñ_ _or Ricketts."_

"Stay away from her," Landon growled.

The young man blinked and motioned to Maddie. "Is she your daughter?"

"As close as a daughter as she'll ever be. Now get out of my sight, boy."

Joaquín bowed his head and hastily turned away. " _S_ _í_ _, se_ _ñ_ _or. Lo siento_."

Once the young man was far enough away, Maddie and Landon faced each other.

"What the hell was that all about?" the young girl asked, her face still crimson and heart racing.

"That son of a bitch was trying to make a move on you, girl. Stay clear of that boy; he's nothing but trouble. I heard he got a girl pregnant in Escalara and left her right after she told him." The old gunslinger's grey eyes burned with anger as he watched the boy walk away; he shook his head. "That rotten bastard." His eyes cooled to their usual color and his features morphed from fury to concern as he looked Maddie over. "You okay, kid?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay. Just…confused is all."

Landon blinked. "What for?"

"He called me an angel and told me I was a great dancer. Why did he try to kiss me?"

"Because he's a womanizing prick, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_. Like I said, steer clear of that kid. Boys like him are trouble, and it's best you don't get involved with 'em. Understood?"

Maddie nodded.

Landon wrapped a protective arm over her shoulders and guided her back to their seats. "C'mon, kid, let's take it easy for the rest of the night."

"But what if other men want to dance with me? Will that happen again?"

"Depends on who asks you. Don't worry, I'll be on the look-out."

"Okay."

For the rest of the night, Landon stuck to her side and drank with her, falling back into conversation about everything and nothing. Of the seven or so men that approached her for a dance, only two were allowed by Landon, who were both older and more respectable than the bold, young Joaquín. Maddie didn't mind her mentor's strictness: she was still confused over her interaction with the young man. By the end of the night, however, she had forgotten the awkward moment and, after she and Landon had drank and danced their fair share, retired to their rooms and slept into the mid-morning hours the next day.


	12. Chapter 12: Paternal Principles

In the weeks that followed Dia de los Muertos, Maddie felt an internal itch rising, a desire left unsatisfied. The wilderness outside Chuparosa beckoned once again to her heart; her eyes constantly flicked over to the _alcalde_ for a new bounty poster. She continued to strengthen her left arm and sharpen her skills as an ambidextrous sharp shooter—as soon as she felt a difference in her right wrist, she was strengthening it as much as possible. With what little money she had, she purchased a second semi-automatic pistol, and with Landon by her side coaching her in duel-wielding firearms, she felt she was ready by the time December came around.

One chilly morning, Maddie sat out on the patio of the _cantina_ , sipping her coffeeafter breakfast and watching the locals go about their daily routine, when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something that caught her attention. Flapping in the morning breeze, posted on the side of the _alcalde_ , was a bounty poster. She leapt to her feet, cursing to herself when she spilled her coffee, and after she sat it down on the table and brushed herself off, she trotted over to the poster and stood studying the rudimentary drawing. It read: WANTED: CRISTO BUSTAMANTE. GRAND LARCENY. $400 ALIVE $200 DEAD. LAST SEEN NEAR SEPULCRO.

She plucked it off the wall, folded it several times, and stuffed it into one of the inner pockets of her duster. She didn't get far, though—not even twelve steps away from her room—before a certain tenacious old man caught up to her.

"Where do you think you're rushing off to?" Landon asked.

She sighed as she glanced at him over her shoulder. "You know, you're like a vulture, with your lurking. I can't go anywhere without you lookin' over my damn shoulder."

He crossed his arms and cocked a grey eyebrow at her. "You better not be going after a bounty by yourself, little miss. You remember what happened last time?"

She glared up at him. "I will _not_ be makin' the same mistakes again, _se_ _ñ_ _or_. I'm ready."

" _Vamos a ver_."

" _De hecho_ ," she agreed, and turned to go to her room.

Landon shot out a hand and grabbed her by the arm, stopping her in mid-stride. "Easy there, kid. You're not going anywhere without me. Mexico is getting more and more dangerous by the day."

"So you keep tellin' me, _se_ _ñ_ _or_ , but I have yet to see anything remotely _close_ to what you've described."

"I hope you don't have to, Maddie."

She faced him fully and put her hands on her hips. "You can't keep me cooped up here in Chuparosa for long, Landon. I am not yours to protect."

"But you're still a young girl in a country that's at war with itself. You may think you've got what it takes, but you haven't come across men who wouldn't so much as blink at the thought of raping you, killing you, and throwing your body in a ditch. I've seen it happen one too many times, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_ , and I'll be damned if it happens to you."

Maddie bit her lower lip. She bowed her head as she sighed and nodded in begrudging acceptance. " _Muy bien, mi maestro. Como quieras_." She pointed to herself with her thumb and added, "But _I_ want to be takin' the shots on this one."

"The hell you will."

"But—"

"No buts, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_. What I say goes. Besides, I have a plan already. Now, go grab your ammunition and saddlebags; have your horse ready in fifteen minutes. I'll meet you at the hitching post in front of the patio."

"What about my repeater? Shouldn't I bring it with me?"

"Leave it. I have a different gun you'll be using."

"O-okay," she stammered, blinking as she watched him turn and walk away to his quarters. Maddie did the same, and in no time at all, she was packed and ready to go. It took her no less than five minutes to saddle Gypsy, and in her bubbling excitement, she mounted her horse and loped to the hitching post outside of the _cantina_ , then sat impatiently waiting for her mentor to appear. _This time will be different, I swear it,_ she thought with confidence. _If I wasn't trained up and ready before, I certainly am now. I didn't do all those hours of target practice for nothing!_

After what seemed like ten more minutes, Landon came riding up on his brown and white paint mare, with a rather large scoped rifle slung over his back. Before she could comment on the firearm, her mentor nudged his horse's sides, and the mare leapt forward and galloped out of the town. Maddie urged Gypsy after her, and the two bounty hunters rode east out of Chuparosa alongside the train tracks.

Soon, they came across what looked like a convent to the left of the train tracks. Landon didn't slow his horse, so Maddie urged her mount to lope abreast of his and shouted, "What is this place?"

"It's called Las Hermanas. It's a monastery."

"I see. Are we getting close?"

"Not far now. We'll be there sooner than you think."

Suddenly, Landon reined his horse to the right onto the main road. Maddie followed closely, and together they made their way closer to their destination. Quite soon, a cemetery loomed ahead on top of a rise.

"There's Sepulco," Landon yelled. "Follow me."

They followed the train tracks until they came upon a tunnel that cut through a mesa, then turned and rode up the trail that rose and followed the curve of the mesa. Before they got to the other side of the plateau, however, Landon pulled up his horse, and Maddie did the same. They dismounted and led their horses to the other side of the rise, keeping them out of side as they ground-tied them, before walking back to where they dismounted. Maddie was close to follow her mentor as he crouched down and snuck up the side of the mesa, to the top of it, where he stopped and knelt overlooking the scenery before them. Maddie knelt beside him and studied their surroundings. Northeast of them, lay Sepulcro, and off in the distance, to the east, sat Last Hermanas.

Landon took off the Carcano rifle and handed it over to his young apprentice. "Here. Take this and head up to the top of this mesa. Get as close as you can, and take your time lining up your shots. Be ready for that recoil, girl—it's gonna kick back a hell of a lot more than that repeater of yours, so keep the butt of that rifle pressed to your shoulder."

"I've got this, Landon," she answered as she took the rifle from him and slung it over her shoulder. She nodded to him. "What about you? What's your plan?"

"I'll head back down and sneak up to that building over there." He pointed to the small limestone shed with the wooden roof just outside the cemetery. "I'll pick off the rest of Bustamante's men from there—with your help, of course—and together, we should be able to take these bastards down in no time. Then we'll go in and get Bustamante. If you can, try to find him first and shoot him in the leg so he can't run off. We don't want him mounting a horse and high-tailing it out of here."

She nodded. "Got it. Anything else?"

"Don't get shot, and don't trip over any rocks." He gave her a playful wink.

She smacked his arm with the back of her hand. "Shut the hell up!"

"I'm just joshing you, kid." He rose from his crouched position and turned back to his horse. "I'll see you when this is over, Maddie. Pick your shots carefully." He walked back to his mare and mounted up.

In the time that it took Landon to ride his horse down the trail and through the train tunnel, dismount his horse, and sneak up to the southeast side of the limestone shed, Maddie had crouched and snuck her way across the top of the mesa, getting as close as she could to Sepulcro, before picking her spot straight south of the cemetery. She knelt as she unslung the rifle from her shoulder, raised the butt of the rifle to her shoulder, and looked through the scope. She saw Landon just where he said he'd be, looking up at her and waiting for her to take the first shot. He nodded encouragingly up at her. Maddie nodded back and drew back the bolt, loading the rifle.

Her heart galloped in her chest as she scanned the cemetery for her target; she counted at least fifteen gang members, all making their rounds and keeping a vigilance over the country surrounding them. At first, she began to feel a cold wash of panic as she didn't spot Cristo, but it melted away as she spotted him towards the back of the cemetery, surrounded by several of his armed men. Maddie grumbled under her breath: there was no way for her to take a clear shot and not kill Bustamante.

 _I'll just have to take out his men before I shoot him in the leg_ , she thought as she moved her index finger to the trigger. She steadied the rifle against her shoulder, taking deep, calming breaths in through her nose and exhaling out of her mouth. The hot rush of adrenaline began to flood her body; all she could hear was her quickened pulse and trembling breath.

 _You've got this. Just point, aim, and shoot. It's just that simple. Point, aim, and shoot…_

The recoil was much greater than she anticipated, and the second she squeezed the trigger, the gun jolted her backwards. Maddie gave a surprised grunt, and she struggled to rise back up for a second. She cursed as a volley of gunfire answered her gunshot, and she knelt and brought the gun back up to her shoulder. She reloaded and looked through the scope, trying to access the situation. She watched as Landon leaned around the limestone shed, aimed, and fired, then took cover. She saw an outlaw fall, then a hurricane of bullets flew towards him.

 _Shit! I've gotta help him!_

She was quick to pick out a target. The fear and anticipation of the gun kicking back caused her to pause, however, and with a grimace, she readied herself and squeezed the trigger. She assumed she must've killed her target, because she couldn't see through the scope as the gun kicked back tremendously against her. Pain jolted her shoulder; she could already tell there was going to be a large bruise. Nevertheless, she reloaded the gun, looked through the scope, picked another target, and fired. Despite the jolting recoil and the flash of pain in her shoulder, Maddie took down another gang member. To her surprise, Landon seemed to be taking down more men than her, and with a wave of anger and determination, Maddie reloaded the rifle faster.

By that time, the gang realized there was more than one gunman, and heads hastily whirled around as they tried to pinpoint their second target. It didn't take long for them to pinpoint Maddie's position, but before they could aim their sights on her, Landon stole their attention and shot down another man.

Maddie saw the opportunity and fired once more, taking down yet another outlaw. She cursed, however, when she realized that Landon had taken down two more in the time it took her to take down one. No! she thought viciously as she reloaded and aimed at another target. I will not be outgunned by some old timer!

Yet again, he had shot down two more men by the time she took down her target. "You son of a bitch!" she shouted down at him just as he took down the last man. She watched helplessly through the scope as Landon forsake his cover and sprinted into the cemetery, chasing after Bustamante as he made a mad dash for the nearest horse.

"Oh, no you don't!" Maddie shouted, and shot Bustamante in the back of the leg, just over Landon's shoulder. Landon stuttered to a halt and looked back at her in shock, but he quickly turned and jogged up to Bustamante with his revolver pointed at the man's face.

By the time Maddie had slung the rifle over her back, ran back down to her horse, and rode up to Sepulcro, Landon had the bounty tied and thrown onto the back of his horse. As she neared him, she reined her horse to a stop and yelled, " _How dare you, Landon!_ What was all this talk about _US_ taking down Bustamante?!"

Landon blinked. "What the hell are you so mad about, girl? We've got the bounty alive—well, so long as we get back to Chuparosa in time before he bleeds out."

She vindictively pointed down at him and spat, "We were supposed to take his men down TOGETHER, but you had to go and be a goddamned showboatin' fool and take down all the men by yourself, then come in here and hogtie that bastard _without me_! I didn't think this was gonna be some twisted competition, Ricketts!"

The old man put his hands on his gun belt and threw her a nasty scowl. "Listen here, missy: I was just following through with my plan. _You're_ the one making a competition out of it. Plus, that gun is too big and bulky for you to handle quickly: I have a revolver, so I was able to take down more men because of that." He glanced at the rifle strapped to her back and shook his head. "I should've given you a lighter gun."

"No, what you _should've_ done was wait for me to come down here, goddamn it! You should've let me take down more men. You should've let me handle this!"

The two stared each other down for a hot minute, before Landon looked away and dismounted his horse. He gathered the reins in his hands and said, "Come on, let's get back to town before this idiot bleeds out."

The bounty hunters rode back to town in silence; neither looked at the other as they rode. Only the sound of the bounty grunting and groaning with pain erupted their scalding silence towards each other.


	13. Chapter 13: The Phoenix

**Chapter Track** : _The Phoenix_ – Lindsey Stirling

* * *

For the rest of the week, Maddie spent little time around Landon, and spoke to him even less—her anger drove her to solitude and brooding as she target practiced with a seething determination. Her skill in duel-wielding thrived, and soon, she was using her left hand to write and rein her horse.

Her solitude was interrupted one day as she practiced outside of town like always. Maddie was focused on the tequila bottles and never even noticed him walk up to her, and when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, she jumped and yelped with surprise, causing her to miss her target.

" _¡_ _Hijo de puta!"_ she shouted. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" She turned, expecting to see her old mentor towering over her, but she blinked and blushed when she faced Joaquín instead.

" _Perdoname, se_ _ñ_ _orita_ ," he said, bowing his head with an apologetic smirk on his handsome face. "I didn't mean to startle you." He looked her over, and a glimmer of coquettishness blazoned in his eyes. "What are you doing out here?"

She tried to ignore how much her face flushed as she turned back to her targets. "Just practicing," she said and raised her left pistol.

" _Un momento, se_ _ñ_ _ora_ ," he said and gently lowered her gun. "If I may, I have a better way to spend your time."

"And that would be?" she asked impatiently as she faced him once more.

"A day with me. The people of this town tell me you're great with the _caballos_. Well, we shall see about that when it comes to me and my horse. How about you and I race, and whoever wins gets a prize from the other?"

She cringed inwardly, knowing what he was about to suggest. "And what kind of prize would the other get?"

"A kiss," he answered with a flirtatious smirk.

" _Se_ _ñ_ _or_ Landon told me to stay in town."

A knowing grin crossed Joaquín's face. He leaned in closer to her. "But you don't listen to him all the time, do you? Everybody in town knows you went after a bounty and almost got killed, but then you kept going after men! You're quite the stubborn and beautiful woman, Maddie, a woman I'd like to get to know better. So…shall we have a race today?"

Maddie glanced back at her targets and sighed. _What else am I gonna do, besides stand here all day and waste bullets on bottles?_ She looked at Joaquín. _But Landon did say to stay away from this little creep…_

" _Por favor, se_ _ñ_ _orita_ ," he said, his eyes staring into hers.

Yet again, she sighed…and holstered her pistol. "Fine. But I want to change one thing."

He blinked. "And that would be?"

"The loser buys the winner a shot instead of getting a kiss."

"Oh, don't be such a prude. It is beneath a beautiful woman such as you."

"Those are my rules. Abide by them, or we don't race."

He seemed disappointed, but he said, " _S_ _í_ , _como quieras_. Go saddle your horse and meet me back here. We'll see who the better horseman is!"

She grinned, already knowing who the victor would be. _This guy's gonna eat trail dust._

In fifteen minutes, she'd saddled her horse and warmed her up by loping around the town several laps. When she rounded Chuparosa the third time and came to their meet-up spot, she was taken aback by the beautiful stallion he sat astride. The gorgeous dapple-grey Andalusian was a sight to behold, with long, wavy mane and tail and a muscular body. His traditional Mexican bridle and saddle was black and adorned with shining diamonds.

"Your horse is _beautiful_ , Joaquín!" she exclaimed as she stopped her horse in front of the prideful males.

As if to answer, the stallion bowed up and pawed at the ground. His rider patted his thick neck and replied, " _Jucioso_ is quite the stallion, the finest horse I've ever had the pleasure of owning. He's beaten many a nag in his prime, and he'll certainly do it again today."

Maddie glared at him. "Gypsy is the toughest and fastest of any horse I've seen. You'll be eatin' your words today, _boy_."

Joaquín brushed off her anger with a deflective wave of his hand and a laugh. "I didn't mean to offend you, _se_ _ñ_ _ora_. Your mare is a beautiful horse, but I am afraid she doesn't stand much of a chance against a pure-bred Andalusian."

"We'll see. Where are we racing to?"

The handsome young man looked about, squinting in the bright daylight as he surveyed their surroundings. He pointed south and offered, "How about _Ojo del Diablo_ and back? It's not that far out of town."

Maddie turned her horse around. "Ready whenever you are."

Joaquín grinned and turned his horse to stand beside Gypsy. The horses faced the road heading to their destination.

"On the count of three. One…"

Both riders leaned forward in the saddle.

"Two…"

The horses felt their riders' excitement and tension; Gypsy pranced in place while _Jucioso_ half-reared.

"Three!"

Joaquín and Maddie kicked their horses into a gallop; dust quickly trailed behind their mounts' hooves as the two began to race down the road, neck and neck. _Jucioso_ was far taller than Gypsy, and so he didn't have to work hard with his long stride; however, Gypsy's shorter, powerful legs helped her keep up with the stallion, and so it was an even match…for now. After a hundred yards, Maddie heard her horse snort with determination, and with a toss of her head, Gypsy bolted forward, zooming into the lead.

"No!" Joaquín yelled behind her. Maddie heard the slapping of leather against hide, then the resolute grunts and thundering of hooves, and _Jucioso_ was in the lead.

"Shit!" Maddie shouted, and urged Gypsy faster.

The road curved, and then _Ojo del Diablo_ was in sight. _Jucioso_ was still in the lead, and when he got to the base of the landmark, Joaquín leaned backward in the saddle and jolted back on the reins. The stallion grunted in pain from the sudden jerk of the bit, but he performed a sliding stop like his rider demanded. The second he slowed, the impatient young man yanked his horse's head to the left, causing him to spin back around, and as soon as _Jucioso_ gathered his legs underneath and bolted back the way he came, Joaquín was spurring him hard and slapping the ends of the reins against the stallion's sides.

 _What a terrible rider he is, treating his horse like that!_ Maddie thought with broiling anger. She too asked for Gypsy to make a sliding stop, although not as harshly as her opponent. The moment she was stopped, Maddie reined her back around and kicked her back into a gallop, giving chase to the prideful males who were in the lead.

Gypsy was hot on the stallion's tail, galloping right behind him. To her horror and rage, Maddie saw the sides of the stallion were starting to bleed from the sharp spurs of his rider. "Hey!" she roared to him. "Don't you treat your horse like that! You're hurting him!"

" _¡Tonterías, tonto!"_ he shouted back over his shoulder. "He is my horse, and I will ride him however I please!"

Gypsy and _Jucioso_ were neck and neck. Maddie held her horse back while she watched Joaquín whip and spur his horse faster, wearing him out. The young woman didn't have to urge her horse to keep pace with the stallion: she knew the mare would keep pace with her opponent and look the other horse in the eye the whole time. As Chuparosa came into view, Maddie lessoned her hold on the reins, giving her horse her head, and enjoyed the ride to victory.

Gypsy immediately bolted forward with a burst of speed, and by the time she got to town, she looked back and guessed there was at least one hundred yards between her and _Jucioso_. As Maddie eased her horse to a stop outside of Chuparosa and pulled her around to face the defeated males, she laughed and proclaimed, "You owe me a shot, Joaquín!"

A string of nasty Spanish curses flowed from the young man's mouth as he pulled his exhausted mount to a stop in front of Maddie and Gypsy. He avoided her triumphant gaze and glared down at his panting horse.

"How?!" he exclaimed at last. He angrily gestured to Gypsy and demanded, "How did that puny little horse beat my _Jucioso_?!"

Maddie shook her head. _This guy just doesn't get it_ , she thought. "Stroke of luck, I guess," she answered with a wide grin. Her smile faded, however, as she looked at the stallion's bleeding sides. She motioned to the horse and added, "Go take care of your horse, then you can buy me that shot, boy."

Begrudgingly, Joaquín did as he was told and rode his spent stallion to the stables outside of town. Maddie hitched her horse at the post beside the _cantina_ and loosened the cinches of her saddle so that her mare could relax and catch her breath. She stroked her horse's neck, saying, "Good girl, Gypsy. We sure showed those foolish boys, didn't we?"

Ten minutes later, Maddie was standing at the bar with the young man she'd bested. He ordered the shot, and Maddie threw it back with gusto.

"Ahhh, this tequila tastes better when it's free!"

" _Callat_ _é_ _, gringa_. You've won, now enough with your goading."

She elbowed his side playfully and winked. "Well, at least you've held up your end of the deal, and I'm thankful for that."

Indeed, he held up his end of the deal…but six shots of tequila later, the world was a happy, spinning mess, and before she knew it, she was dancing with him to the song of a guitarist nearby. Hand in hand, they danced and swayed, laughing and enjoying each other's company, when suddenly, he tightened his arm around her waist, pulled her in closer to him, and sloppily pressed his lips upon hers. She froze, unable to think in the moment or believe it to be happening; she wanted to push him away, punch him in the face for daring to go that far, but all she could do was stand there in his arms and be drunkenly kissed by a young man she hardly knew.

Unexpectedly, Joaquín was yanked away from her. A fist flew through the air and collided against his face, and the kid fell to the ground at Maddie's feet, out cold. Maddie blinked in rapid succession, and she looked up at Landon with her mouth agape. The old gunslinger didn't seem so frail and aged as he stood over the kid, panting and glaring down at him. Then Landon bent down, grabbed the kid by the collar of his shirt, and drug him out of the _cantina_ past the tables and chairs. He dropped him out in the street then turned and headed back to Maddie, who was standing there flabbergasted and watching him all the while.

"What the hell?" she asked. "What just happened?"

"I told you to watch out for that slimy son of a bitch," he answered. He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her over. "You okay, Maddie? I wish I would've gotten to you sooner." He glared back over his shoulder at the unconscious kid. "That little _puta_ …"

"I'm fine, thanks to you. _Gracias, mi maestro_."

"I've been wanting to do that to him for a while now." He studied her closely. "You sure you're all right?"

She nodded and embraced him tightly. "I think I've had enough excitement for one night. Could… Could you possibly walk me to my room, Landon? I…I don't trust anyone else."

Landon stroked her hair and returned the hug. "Of course, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_. Let me walk you there."

He chaperoned her to her room, and when they got there, she turned and hugged him once more. "Thank you, Landon. I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being such a fool. I should've listened to you about him. I hope he's hurtin' in the morning."

"Well, he'll have a black eye, at least, if that makes you feel any better. And besides, I heard you beat him in a horse race. That brat finally lost with his prize stallion, and to be honest, I'm glad it was you. Well done."

She chuckled. "Somebody had to do it."

"Indeed." He tipped his hat to her and opened the door for her. "Get some sleep, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_. I'll see you in the morning."

" _Bien, mi maestro. Hasta pronto_."

* * *

Two days later, a wanted poster was posted at the _alcalde_. Despite Landon's constant heeding to leave it be, when he wasn't looking, she snagged it off the side of the building and stuffed it in her satchel. That night, before she went to bed, she took it out of her bag and studied the poster: WANTED: CESAR HIGUERAS. PETTY THEFT. LAST SEEN NEAR BARRANCA. $120 DEAD $240 ALIVE. She looked the drawing over and wasn't too impressed by the kind of man she saw.

She scoffed. _This will be easy. He doesn't look like too much to handle, if he's just wanted for petty theft._ Before she went to sleep, she had cleaned her pistols and repeater, reloaded them, and packed extra ammunition in her satchel.

The sun hadn't even begun to rise when she awoke with a burning adrenaline rush. In haste, she dressed, ate a quick breakfast, then trotted out to the stables, where she saddled her horse quickly and silently. She mounted up before a sliver of the sun could be seen over the horizon, and with a nudge of her heels, Gypsy was loping out of town.

She rode east alongside the train tracks and stopped just as she was directly east of Barranca. She unslung the Carcano rifle from her back and looked through the scope at the bounty target's last known location. She frowned: Barranca was on a hill overlooking the countryside. She lowered the gun to her lap and urged her horse northeast, around the run-down building, and surveyed the surrounding landscape, trying to figure out where to set up with the rifle. She followed the road that crossed the train tracks until she was directly south of Barranca, then she stopped, turned, and rode straight for the shack. Gypsy crossed the short distance quickly, loping down the hill, across the small valley, then up the hill leading to the place. They passed two clusters of rocks and boulders, and when they came to a third set, Maddie stopped her horse and dismounted with the scoped rifle in hand, taking cover behind the rocks. Gypsy wandered off to graze while Maddie scoped out the ruined building, looking to see where the bounty was hiding and do a headcount of his men. She counted at least ten gang members, and realized just how perfect her cover was, for she had a clear shot at Cesar Higueras. Narrowing her sights on him, she slowed her breathing, and squeezed the trigger.

He fell to the ground with a wail of excruciation as the bullet passed through the back of his right thigh. Immediately, his men leapt to action, taking cover and searching for the person who dared shoot their leader. Maddie however left them no time to recuperate and prepare for the onslaught: she picked out the nearest gang member, aimed the crosshairs on his skull, and pulled the trigger.

The explosion of gore and blood was enough to make her stomach churn, but she didn't let her revulsion take over her in the moment: she had a job to do and wasn't about to mess it up this time. She moved onto the next gang member and picked him off. Like clockwork, they'd return fire, and she'd take cover behind the boulders, and the second they'd let up to reload, she'd pop back up, look through the scope, and take down another man. One by one, they were falling to her bullets, and soon, she spotted Higueras crawling away in his panic.

When the last man was gunned down, Maddie leapt up from her cover, slung the rifle over her shoulder, then drew her pistols and charged forward to Barranca after the bounty. He was struggling to stand, and when he did, he whirled around at the sound of her running up behind him and drew his revolver.

She was ready, however, and shot the gun out of his hand. Higueras roared with a mixture of pain, rage, and terror. He desperately tried to limp away, but she was closing the distance between them and unfurling her lasso at the same time.

"No!" he roared. "You will not catch me, you little _puta_!"

"Like hell I won't!" she replied and began to swing the rope up over her head. After three loops, she aimed, swung one more time, then threw the lasso at him, roping him by the waist and yanking him off balance. She quickly closed the distance between him and her, keeping the rope taut until she was upon him. She drove her knee into the center of his back, putting all her weight on him as she hastily grabbed his wrists and tied them together. Within a matter of seconds, it was all over, and the bounty lay there before her wriggling and grunting.

Panting, Maddie stood up and looked down at her prey, and she smiled. She had done it. She whistled for her horse, and as she stood waiting, Higueras cursed and squirmed.

"You little _puta_! I will gut you like a deer! Let me go! You can't—"

She cut him off with a sharp kick to the ribs and answered, "I'll have none of that nonsense from you, Higueras. You're comin' with me, and that's that."

Her horse whickered as she loped up to her rider, and once she stopped, Maddie bent down, rolled the man onto his back, then drug him by the legs over to her horse. She stood there looking from the bounty to her horse's back, then back down at the man. She frowned.

"What now, little girl?" he laughed. "How are you going to get me to jail? You're just a tiny girl who's got no—"

She stomped on his groin, and he let out a howl of excruciation.

With some difficulty, she hoisted him up onto his back. It was almost impossible to lift him up and over her horse's back, but with some finagling and a considerable amount of grunting and pushing, she had him up and over Gypsy's rump. Once she had him tied to the saddle, she finally mounted up and nudged her heels to the mare's sides, and she was off.

The entire ride back to Chuparosa was almost unbearable; Higueras whined and whimpered in agony, and more than once did he call her a nasty name in Spanish, to which she replied with a smack to his face. When she got to town, it seemed like a welcome party had been established: more than half of the town stood out by the _alcalde_ and _cantina_. As she reined her horse over to the _alcalde_ and stopped her in front of the hitching post, the only person Maddie saw in the crowd of flabbergasted people was her old mentor, standing right beside the hitching post with his arms crossed and a sour frown upon his face. Instead of chastising her and causing a fuss, the gunslinger simply watched her with what looked like a knowing countenance and a glint of both pride and sadness in his blue eyes.

Maddie dismounted, hitched her horse, and untied the bounty. She pushed him off her horse's rump and let him fall to the ground at Landon's feet. _"_ _¿_ _Ver?"_ she asked triumphantly. _"_ _¡_ _Te dije que estaba lista!"_

It took him a while to respond, but when he did, he sighed, bowed his head, and admitted, " _Por lo que parece_. You are indeed ready, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_."

Maddie smiled brightly.


	14. Chapter 14: Leavetaking

**Chapter Track:** River Crossing – Carter Burwell, _True Grit_ soundtrack

"And I want you back here as soon as possible," Landon instructed, his parental gaze lingering on her even after she turned away to finish tightening the front cinch on her saddle.

She rolled her eyes and nodded. " _Si, mi maestro_."

"Take plenty of food, water, and ammunition. Travel light and fast, and be back here—"

"—As soon as I bag the bounty, I know!" Maddie finished saddling her horse and haughtily turned to her mentor with her hands on her hips. "Landon, I've gone out on my own before. I know what I'm doing. Besides, I'll be back here before noon."

He looked her sternly in the eyes. "Mexico is a little different than the U.S., and this country is getting worse by the day, it seems." He looked to the side and bit down on his lip. He shook his head. "I should be going with you."

" _No, señor. No es necesario. Puedo hacer esto por mi cuenta. Lo he demostrado_."

He looked back at her, and his eyes swam with concern. " _Sólo tienes quince años._ "

She rolled her eyes again. "I'm a fifteen-year-old who's proven herself to you, Ricketts. And as for Mexico being dangerous, I'll believe it when I see it."

"Oh, but you will, _mi niña_ , if this is what you want. But don't say I didn't warn you. You will see things out there that will change you."

Maddie didn't know how to respond, so she turned back to her horse and double-checked her saddle over for a good, tight fit. She looked through her saddlebags one more time. She had everything she needed for the journey ahead: her canteen was full of water, she had enough rations to last her a week, and she packed plenty of ammunition. There was also a map of Mexico and a bounty poster with a feller by the name of Geraldo Elizaldez sketched on it. He was last seen near Ojo del Diablo, funnily enough, and she knew it wouldn't take long to bag him and bring him in, not when he was a mere mile or so away from town. If all went according to plan, she'd be back in a few hours, but the second she would get the bounty into custody and get paid, that was it—she'd be off, heading west, to Escalera. Landon told her it would be the best place to find bounties, but he also warned her not to let her guard down.

"There will be plenty of men out there, _mi niña_ ," he had told her, "plenty of men who wouldn't so much as think twice before assaulting you and doing only God knows what. So keep your pistols at the ready; shoot first, then ask questions. Keep your horse close in case you need a quick getaway."

Though his heeding sent an icy chill down her spine, she didn't let her fear best her—she was going to do this. She _needed_ to do this, if she was to become a bounty hunter.

With that in mind, she mounted up and gathered the reins in her hands. The Carcano rifle and Henry repeater strapped to her back and the two semi-automatic pistols hanging at her hips were all a somewhat heavy reminder of the journey ahead, but she welcomed the comforting weight—they would be her protectors and partners in the weeks to come. Maddie looked down at Landon. The morning sunlight cast a slight shadow on the old man's face. Fear for her safety ran rampant across the folds and wrinkles, but it was quickly reined in: he respected her wishes, however dangerous (and suicidal) they might be.

Master and pupil met gazes for a long, tender moment. Beneath Maddie, Gypsy pawed at the ground and blew, ready to get going.

"Be strong and vigilant out there, Maddie," Landon said. "I'll see you soon."

"You will, trust me," she answered and gave him a reassuring grin.

His smirk was half-hearted, but he forced himself to smile as he stepped away from her and her horse. He gestured to the world, just past the gates of Chuparosa. "Go get that slimy bastard," he encouraged with a twinkle in his eye.

Maddie smiled. "Damn right I will," she said, and kicked her horse's sides. Gypsy surged forward in a gleeful gallop out of Chuparosa and down the road, heading south east to Ojo del Diablo. She could feel the old man's vigilant stare on her the whole time—she didn't have to look back to know he followed her out of town to watch her ride away. Guilt stabbed at her breast: she didn't want to make the old man worry, but this was her choice. She couldn't stand to be cooped up in that small town anymore, not when there was a whole other half of the country she had yet to experience. With that bubbling thought, she urged her horse faster, and Gypsy sprinted on toward her bounty target's last known location.

As promised, she had returned to Chuparosa an hour before noon. As two of Chuparosa's sheriffs escorted Elisaldez into the _alcalde_ , Maddie recounted her hunt to Landon. It had been almost too easy: she rode up to Ojo del Diablo, dual-wielding her semi-automatic pistols, and picked off the bounty target's five men. Maddie could've taken her time unfurling her lasso—hell, she even had time to dismount her horse—because Geraldo stood there in complete shock, his hands nowhere near his revolvers, and by the time he was roped and hogtied, he had found his voice, saying, _"¡Eres una chica! ¿Qué estás haciendo? ¡Sólo eres una chica!_ "

"Isn't that just somethin', Landon?" Maddie asked. She hadn't stopped smiling since she wrestled the man up onto her horse's rump, and now that she had been paid one-hundred and sixty dollars, she was even more elated.

Landon stood next to her listening with a sad smirk on his face. He nodded and shook his head. "It sure is something, _mi niña_."

Maddie couldn't discern the troubled visage of her mentor. She blinked and looked up at him. " _Señor_ Ricketts, are you okay?"

He blinked and looked down at her. Any troubled emotions he expressed on his face were wiped away and replaced with pride as he met gazes with her. He clapped a wrinkled hand on her shoulder, jostling her a bit, and said, "Sure, kid. I'm fine. Come on, let's celebrate. I'll buy you a shot, for your well-earned victory."

They made their way to the _cantina_ , and as promised, Landon ordered her a shot of tequila, as well as one for himself. After the drinks were poured, they held up the shot glasses in unison, and Landon said, "To your journey. May it be a safe and fruitful one."

They clinked glasses and downed the shots in unison. Maddie sighed with pleasure and pride as she sat the empty shot glass down before her on the bar. She looked around the _cantina_ , at the many faces she recognized and the welcoming atmosphere. She would miss this place, no doubt, but it was time to move on.

She looked back at Landon and was shocked to him looking deathly afraid: his grey eyes swam with concern and what looked like the beginnings of tears. Maddie blinked.

"Landon? What's wrong?

"I should be going with you, kid. You don't know what it's like out there, and if anything happened to you, I'd…" He looked away, blinking rapidly.

Maddie stared at him. "There is nothing to worry about, _mi maestro_. You've taught me well—I can shoot faster and better than any of those _criminales_."

"You say that now, _mi niña_ , but there will come a moment when you're out there alone and in peril…" He looked back at her and continued, "I know you think you're ready for this, but there is so much about Mexico that I'd rather you not come to know. Maddie, this revolution has cost this country a lot; a lot of blood has been spilt, too much I might add, and too many innocent lives have been lost in the midst of this fight. You might skirt around the edge of this revolution, but that doesn't mean you'll escape unscathed." He turned and faced her, putting his hands on her shoulders, and pleaded, "Maddie, let me go with you. Please. I—"

She shrugged his hands off and took a step back. Anger boiled her veins. " _Don't_ say another word, Ricketts. You agreed to let me go. Don't you DARE go back on that now. I _have_ to do this."

He stood staring down at her, mouth agape in shock and offence, but he sighed and bowed his head in defeat. "Yes, I agreed. I'm sorry." His eyes met hers once more. "But you must understand my cause for concern, Maddie."

She nodded, already knowing what he would say. "I know." She glanced over at the bartender and waved him over. "Here, I'll buy you a shot to calm your nerves." She elbowed him playfully in the ribs and added, "You crazy old coot."

Landon chortled and faced the bar in unison with his pupil. She procured the money and ordered the tequila; the bartender poured their drinks, and they threw them back in unison. After they set their glasses down on the counter, master and apprentice shared soft gazes. Landon draped an arm over her small shoulders, she wrapped her arm around his waist, and all at once they were embracing each other tightly, half-laughing, half-crying.

The minutes sped by mercilessly fast as they took turns buying the other shots and swapping stories, and by the time dusk began to settle over Chuparosa, they were inebriated. Landon stumbled alongside Maddie as he chaperoned her to her room, and with a hug and a kiss on the forehead, he bid her goodnight. As soon as she shut the door behind her, Maddie shuffled over to her bed and collapsed atop it, falling asleep in moments.

* * *

The morning came sooner than expected for Maddie, and with it, a terrible hangover. The fifteen-year-old lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling and regretting every shot she had, of which she lost count after six. She ran a hand over her face and groaned, thinking, _Why the hell did I do that? I wonder if Landon feels as bad as I do…_

She received her answer an hour later: in her semi-conscious state, she heard a knock on her door. She cleared her throat and uttered, "Come in."

Landon appeared on the other side of the door as it opened, and he timidly walked into her room. A painful smirk flittered across his mouth. "You too, huh?"

"Yep." She slowly sat up in bed, cradling her head with a hand. " _Dios mío, ¿en qué estábamos pensando?"_

"That's just it: I don't think we _were_ thinking." Landon grabbed the chair from the desk over in the corner of the room and picked it up as he approached her bed. He sat the chair down beside her and sat on it. "But we needed to celebrate. Your journey starts today." He chortled and added, "Well, if you can get out of bed, that is."

Maddie moaned and rubbed her temples with her index and middle fingers. She shut her eyes and sighed. "I hope so, Landon." Her stomach began to swirl; she swallowed thickly. "How much did we drink last night?"

"Between the two of us, half a bottle of tequila. Hell, maybe even three-quarters of it."

She began to feel nauseated. Frantically, she searched for the bucket she kept near her bed—her many nights of fun and tolerance-building came at a price, and she had made sure she was prepared. Her bucket sat next to her nightstand, and as quick as she could, she leaned over the bed and aimed for it just as the bile rushed up her throat. She heaved three times, and afterwards, despite hating vomiting, she felt better, and she laid back down in bed, her head throbbing. She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed deeply, feeling the shock of throwing up ebb away.

Landon chuckled empathetically. "I've had my fair share of mornings such as this. You'll feel better later today."

Maddie sighed. "I know. It just feels like an eternity until you do." She felt a warm, calloused hand on her shoulder and another running through her long hair.

"Yeah, it does," Landon agreed. He withdrew his hands from his adopted daughter and stood up. "Get some rest, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_. I'll check on you later, and if you're up for it, I'll see you out of Chuparosa."

Maddie opened her eyes and blinked as she looked up at him. "Really?"

He nodded, and all at once he looked so much older and frailer to Maddie then as he gave her a small, sad smirk. "Of course, Maddie. I have a promise to keep, don't I?"

"Yeah."

He nodded once more as he opened the door. "I'll see you soon, kid." With that, he disappeared behind the door.

 _Let's just hope I'm up for it, then_ , she thought as she laid her head back down on the pillow and closed her eyes.

* * *

Later that day, Maddie felt significantly better, after taking some medicine Landon gave her and a eating meal from the _cantina_. After dinner, she and Landon went to the stables, and the old gunslinger stood by as his apprentice saddled her filly. Afterwards, they stood facing each other, looking into one another's eyes. Then they embraced.

"Be careful out there, Maddie," the old man said. "Keep your horse close and your guns closer." He held her tightly, his chin resting atop her left shoulder.

Maddie rolled her eyes. _The dramatic fool_ , she thought as she released him and took a step back, still holding onto his forearms. "I'll be all right, Ricketts. You've taught me well."

"I'm serious, kid. Anything can happen, and you're just—"

"A little girl? Please. I can handle myself, Pa."

They stared at each other, the shock of her last word apparent on both countenances.

"Sorry," she uttered and tucked her chin down into her red scarf. "I don't know where that came from."

"It's all right, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_ ," he said, and gave her one more hug. Afterwards, he released her and took a few steps back, nodding to her horse. "Go, Maddie. I'll stay here and keep Chuparosa safe from the _revoluc_ _í_ _on_." He pointed to her. "And you stay away from it, you hear me? Don't get involved with either side, just stay clear of any dangerous circumstances."

She snorted through her nose. "I'm a bounty hunter, Ricketts. _My job_ is a dangerous circumstance."

Landon smirked and nodded his head. "Yeah, I suppose so." He watched as she turned and mounted her horse, her guns gleefully glistening in the sunlight. When she gathered the reins in her hands and looked down at him, he instructed, "Head west to get to Escalera. Take the main road, but be careful. Stay clear of strange men, and don't trust anyone but your horse. Keep your campfires small."

Maddie nodded. She fiddled with the reins.

"And be back soon, you hear me?"

"I will. You'll see me back here in no time, _se_ _ñ_ _or_." She reined her horse around, facing the gates of Chuparosa. " _Hasta pronto, mi maestro_."

" _Hasta luego, mi aprendiz. Vaya con Dios_."

And then she was gone, galloping away gayly and leaving him in a cloud of dust and memories.


	15. Chapter 15: Escalera

Gypsy flew down the road, barely needing any coaxing from her rider as she galloped out of Chuparosa and into the countryside of Mexico. Elation and adrenaline pulsed through Maddie; she felt her heart thundering in unison with her horse's gait. She let her filly gallop as long and as hard as she desired; they covered ground quickly, going down the road that ran alongside the train tracks. The path curved down as the train tracks met a bridge. Maddie reined her horse to the right, following the path down and underneath the bridge, and let Gypsy continue. After a time, the rocky mountain filly was slick was sweat and panting heavily. Thinking it best for her horse, Maddie pulled her to a stop off to the side of the road, dug through her satchel, and took out the map of Mexico Landon had given her.

From what she could decipher, she was south of Frontera Bridge. _I probably have a half-day's ride ahead of me_ , she though as she studied the western part of the country she had yet to explore. While she waited for Gypsy to catch her breath, she returned the map to her satchel and double-checked her pistols to see if they were indeed loaded. Landon's warnings began to loop through her mind; she holstered her guns with a fluttering heart. _No matter_ , she thought. _I'll be all right. I was tutored by a legendary gunslinger after all._ After a time, when her horse's breath slowed and her head raised back up, Maddie squeezed her heels to her filly's sides, and she walked forward with a tired blow.

She walked her horse the rest of the journey, following the road as it curved and winded and climbed its way to Escalera. By the time she rode into town, into what looked like a market adorned with run-down stone buildings and a plethora of interesting people to boot, it was dusk.

As she followed the road up and around the town, Landon's words echoed through her head _: it's where the President lives, in his palace enjoying the high life while the rest of the town lives in squalor._ And it was true: whilst most of the town looked to be in a ramshackle state, the well-guarded and gaudy palace was a testament to how off-set the balance of the country was in. As she approached the gate, the two armed guards stirred to life from their rigid stance and tightened their grips on their rifles.

" _¡Parada!_ " one of the guards shouted. " _Date la vuelta y vete. Se supone que no debes estar aquí."_

" _Perdoname, señor, pero necesito un lugar donde quedarme_ ," Maddie replied, easing her horse to a stop before the men.

" _¡No es importa! ¡Date la vuelta y vete! ¡Ahora!"_

" _Pero—"_

The men raised their rifles and pointed them at her.

She reined her horse around quickly and loped back down the road from whence she came, her heart thundering in her chest. As she neared the market, she slowed Gypsy to a walk and reined her towards a group of men around a round table by one of the buildings. Her interest was piqued as she saw one of them practicing five finger fillet, and she had to smirk at the man's bravery. As she neared them, she said, " _Perdoname, caballeros, pero necesito un lugar para quedarme esta noche. ¿Adónde puedo ir?_ "

The group of four men looked genuinely surprised as they looked up at her. They all eyed her with shock and curiosity. One of the men asked, "You an American, _si_?"

She nodded, suddenly growing nervous.

The men exchanged looks before returning their gazes to her. The same man asked, "What are you doing here, _gringa_? _¿_ _Hablas Espanol, eh?_ "

" _Sí, hablo español_. And my reasoning to be here is none of your concern. You still haven't answered _mi pregunta_."

A long moment passed between them…until another one of the men spoke up, "There's a house here by the market, but some _gringo_ bought it, so you'll have to go get a room by the _cantina_ , _se_ _ñ_ _orita._ "

" _No problema. Gracias, caballeros. Buenas noches_."

She turned her horse away from them and rode back up the road, past the church and the gunsmith's shop (making a mental note to stop by there some time), and stopped her horse at a hitching post beside the shop. She was quick to dismount, take off her saddle bags, loosen the front cinch for Gypsy, and make her way to the _cantina._

The moment she walked through the double swinging doors, all eyes were upon her. She paused in the doorway, counting at least ten strangers' heads turning and staring at her. She grew even more uncomfortable as she cleared her throat and made her way to the bar, making a point to go to the far corner of it. She sighed as she leaned against the bar with her elbows, keeping her face hidden beneath her black Stetson.

" _¡Ay, mamacita, ven aqui!"_ said one of the men, clearly inebriated.

A chorus of laughter followed. Maddie shifted her weight from one boot to the other.

To her amazement, the bartender walked up to her, looking surprised as he wiped out a beer mug with a rag. _"¿Qué quieres?"_ he asked, gawking at her.

Again, Maddie cleared her throat. " _Necesito una habitación para esta noche, por favor_."

He blinked.

" _¿Cuánto?"_ she continued, reaching into her satchel.

" _Diez dólares, por favor."_

She retrieved the cash and set it on the counter.

" _Una mamacita que tiene dinero,"_ the man from before exclaimed. _"¡Orale!"_

Maddie shot a death glare in his direction and hissed, " _Basta, tonto_."

The man, alongside several others, chorused back at her with raunchy taunts and demands, to which she replied by flicking back her duster and showing both her pistols to the room of intoxicated idiots. The ruckus died down as all eyes came to rest on her firearms, and several men rested their hands on their revolvers. Before the situation escalated, Maddie looked back at the bartender and said, " _La llave, por favor."_

He bent down, retrieved a key from underneath the counter, then handed it to her.

She took it from him without another word and stormed out of the _cantina_.

* * *

She awoke early the next morning, itching to be on the hunt for her next bounty. To her relief, Gypsy was hitched where she left her. The filly nickered a greeting and pricked her ears at her rider as she approached. Maddie stroked the horse's neck and mane as she unhitched her. She fed her an apple and a sugar cube, knowing full well she was hungry before she mounted up and rode towards the _alcalde_ of Escalera.

To her surprise and glee, several bounty posters hung on the side of the _federales_ building. Maddie dismounted and walked up to the posters, studying them. The first read: WANTED: RIGOBERTO ARTIZ. GRAND LARCENY. LAST SEEN AT NOSALIDA. $400 ALIVE $200 DEAD. The man depicted was bald and had a mustache. The second poster read: WANTED: SELESTINO HERRADA. PETTY THEFT. LAST SEEN AT TESORO AZUL. $240 ALIVE $120 DEAD. This man was depicted wearing a large wide-brimmed hat and also sporting a mustache. She looked from one poster to the other, frowning.

 _It'll probably be easier to bring 'em in dead_ , she thought as she plucked the posters off the wall, folded them up, and stuffed them in her satchel. _Won't get as much money though, but still…it's better than nothing._ After a quick breakfast of hard tack and vittles, Maddie took out the map Landon had given her and briefly looked it over, noting where Nosalida was. She figured it would be a half days ride, at least, then the other half of the day to get back. Maddie nodded, put the map back in her satchel, and mounted up.

She was halfway there when, on the side of the road, a scene she didn't expect to play out happened right in front of her. As her horse neared the group of soldiers and a handful of civilians, she pulled back on the reins, slowing her to a walk. One of the soldiers barked a command at the people, who immediately got down on their knees in front of him and his men. The other soldiers raised their firearms, and before Maddie could yelp out a protest, the men shot the civilians dead, their bodies slumping to the ground.

Gypsy stopped and reared, letting out a terrified whinny. Maddie was too shocked and terrified to rein her horse under control as she darted off to the side and galloped around the soldiers, who shot her threatening glares and waved her off. Her heart pounded and her adrenaline seeped through her veins; she rode her horse hard away from the ghastly firing squad, hardly believing what she witnessed.

She was still in shock as she rode up to Nosalida; she almost passed it in her blind terror. She pulled Gypsy up in front of the ghost town, her horse's sides heaving and damp. Maddie accessed the ramshackle appearance of the town, not believing however that it was truly empty.

 _He's gotta be around here somewhere_ , she thought as she hitched her horse to the half-downed fence that surrounded the gaggle of small houses, which were all but standing. _What happened here? Did a battle take place?_

Not a sound could be heard save for the wind blowing through the cracks and crevices of the abandoned settlement as Maddie stopped and dismounted her horse. With her pistols at the ready, she entered the town through the archway.

She wasn't even in ten steps when the shooting started. Gypsy spooked and bolted. Immediately, Maddie took cover behind a nearby crate. All around her, gunfire sounded and nasty taunts in Spanish were thrown her way. She flinched as the crate was pelted with ceaseless fire; she quickly looked around and, in an impulsive decision, sprinted around the corner of the nearest shack, getting fired at the whole time. She pressed her back against the side of the building, panting and wide-eyed.

 _Jesus, I'm outgunned_ , she thought. The terror from seeing the firing squad before hadn't truly left her, and now that she was in a dire situation, it grew tenfold. She found herself flinching and whimpering with every nearby ricochet and thump of the bullets striking near her. The gunfire was relentless; she couldn't lean around the corner and return her fair share of bullets, much less look and see how many men she was up against.

 _Christ, this is a mess! Why didn't I sneak in here like I was planning?!_

Suddenly, she heard a man screaming out in pain, followed by frantic cries and gunfire. Maddie was still too petrified to sneak a peak, so she remained where she stood listening intently. One by one, men were dying…a shriek here, a cry there… What she could tell, someone was killing the bounty's men for her, and with that revelation came outrage. Baring her teeth, Maddie leaned around the corner of the building with her pistols at the ready.

Nosalida was littered with the bodies of men. Hitched horses shrieked and reared up, terrified of what had transpired. Maddie cautiously left her cover and transitioned back to the crate where she first was, blinking and confused. All around her were dead bodies and no sign of the assailant who was responsible. The unseen hero had all but disappeared, leaving only boot prints in the bloody sand and then nothing but hoofprints.

"What the hell?" Maddie found herself asking out loud.

Near the entrance of town, Rigoberto Artiz lay gasping for air and clutching at his left leg, which was pouring out blood. He tried reaching for his gun that lay next to him, but Maddie got the draw on him and, still in a confused daze, ordered, "Don't even think about it, Artiz. You reach for that gun, and I'll shoot you. Got it?"

Gasping and grunting in excruciation, he answered, "You might as well shoot me and get it over with. _¡_ _Ay, mi dolor!_ "

As she approached with her gun still on him, she demanded, "Who was that? Who killed your men?"

Rigoberto grunted as he rolled over on his side, still clutching at his bleeding leg. " _No se. ¡Era un fantasma!_ He came so quick and killed all of my men!"

"Bullshit it was," Maddie growled as she holstered one of her guns and switched to her lasso. She rolled the man onto his back, tied his arms and legs, then stood up and whistled for her horse. After a time, Gypsy came galloping back, tossing her head and nostrils flaring.

"Easy, girl," she cooed as her horse slowed to a stop before her.

"You see, gringa?" Artiz said. "Your horse is spooked. _¡Era un fantasma!_ "

"It wasn't a ghost, you damn idiot," she hissed and kicked him in the side, silencing him. "Now shut your mouth and let's get you back to town. My wallet could use some extra dollars to fatten it up."

After some difficulty, she had him up and over Gypsy's rump. With one last glance at Nosalida, she mounted her horse, turned her around back to Escalera, and nudged her heels to Gypsy's sides. When she got back to town, everyone stared at the young girl as she rode past them to the _alcalde_ , and once there, the soldiers didn't believe her at first—they took Artiz's word over hers when she smacked him enough to speak the truth.

"So you stole this bounty from another hunter?" one of the soldiers asked, glaring at her.

"No! I was after this man when someone else came and slaughtered all his men. Honest to God, I was gonna do it myself, but some puta shot them down before me!"

After ten more minutes of fenagling and arguing with the soldiers, they took Artiz in and gave her the four-hundred dollars. Enraged and tired, Maddie rode to the saloon, hitched her enervated horse outside, then stormed in and went straight to the bar. She ordered several shots of tequila, ate a warm meal, then headed up to her room and collapsed in bed.

* * *

Morning came too soon for Maddie, and even though she slept in until nine o'clock, she was still tired, but above all else, as she rose out of bed, brushed her hair, donned her duster, hat, and guns, she was both disgusted at herself and enraged at whoever did her job for her. _That's NOT gonna happen again_ , she berated herself as she stepped outside to greet the day. She stretched her tired, sore limps before walking down the steps to her horse. She fed her horse several apples and a sugar cube before unhitching her horse.

She led Gypsy away from the saloon, down and around the bundle of houses and past the church, to the market, where she bought fresh produce for herself and her horse. Once her saddlebags were full again with food, she was satisfied, and she went to mount up.

" _¡_ _Oye, gringa!"_ came a masculine voice from behind her.

Maddie turned and felt her jaw drop at the man who had spoken to her. Even from ten feet away, he towered over her.

"You're the little _puta_ who thinks she's the best _pistolera_ around," he continued, pointing at her. "Ha! We find out today if you are!" He beckoned her towards him, then pointed to a spot nearby in the street and added, _"Ahora,_ we duel now! _"_

She scoffed as she looked him up and down, but inside she was screaming. The man boasted a muscular body and thick facial hair. "Who told you such nonsense? And who are you to call me out?"

"Who are _you_ to come into _my_ town and _my_ country and take over bringing in bounties? Go back to America, _gringa_! We don't need you here!"

She bristled and faced him. "I have just as much right to be here as you do. Watch what you say. You obviously don't know who you're talkin' to."

"Oh ho ho ho!" he chuckled. "Then show me what you're made of, _gringa_! _¡Vamos, peleamos ahora!_ "

She could hear Landon's voice in her head, giving her advice just as he did to John, as she walked up to the spot they picked out. _A duel is all about timing. If you pull your gun too soon, you'll be less accurate. After you draw, pick your shots carefully, like I showed you_. Her hands shook as she stopped, turned, and faced the gargantuan man.

"Today, you will be put in your place, _ni_ _ñ_ _a_! There will be no more big talk from you."

She threw him a nasty scowl instead of replying. Inside, she was quaking. Her breath trembled, but then Landon's voice echoed through her mind once again, _Once you've picked your marks, the rest, my friend, is in the hands of fate._ She nodded and steadied her hand as she flicked back her duster and crouched, her right hand hovering over her pistol.

All around her, men laughed and chortled. Several pointed and shouted jests, while others silently waited in anticipation for the duel. Before her, the man got into his dueling stance, albeit rather half-heartedly as he laughed at her.

 _No one's gonna laugh at me anymore_ , Maddie thought, _not after today_.

A miniscule moment of silence played between them; the air around them was thick with the prospect of death. Maddie and the man stood staring at one another… a second passed, then another, until a sudden aggressive glimmer flashed across the man's eyes, and he drew. Maddie drew a millisecond later, and as she aimed at the man's gun, she felt something graze her left shoulder as she pulled the trigger. Where she aimed wasn't where the bullet ended up, but to her shock and amazement, the man howled in pain and dropped his gun as he clutched at his right bicep with his left hand. His eyes clenched shut as he fell to his knees and doubled over.

"You little _puta_!" he exclaimed. "You shot me!"

Something warm trickled down her left arm. She looked down at herself and was surprised to see a streak of blood coming from a tear in her shirt, just above her elbow. She frowned, finally feeling the sting of the abrasion. She looked back at the man and shook her head as she watched him clutch at his wound, which as far as she could tell, wasn't life-threatening or as terrible as he was making it out to be.

"Huh," she said, smirking as she holstered her gun. "After all that big talk…" She watched him for a moment longer before she turned and walked away, leaving him to wallow in his self-pity. She walked over to her horse, mounted up, and rode out of town without looking back at the man she'd bested.


	16. Chapter 16: The Parting Glass

**Chapter Track** : _The Parting Glass_ – The Wailin' Jennys

Two days later, after a much-needed bath and rest, Maddie saddled up and rode out of Escalera, heading east to Tesoro Azul. In the days' ride it took to near her bounty target's last known location, she felt wanton eyes upon her and an unshakable feeling of being followed. At first, she shook it off as no more than a fleeting, silly feeling, like her mind was playing tricks on her. But she couldn't help but look over back over her shoulder every other mile or look around suspiciously at her surroundings. She couldn't help but urge her horse a little faster down the road.

That night, as she made camp a few miles away from Tesoro Azul, she felt the feeling worsen. With her hands on the holsters of her pistols, she walked out into the darkness past her campfire's glow.

She stood still and quiet in the darkness, barely breathing as she listened and looked around. Rustling and footsteps suddenly sounded from behind her, and she spun around, drawing her right pistol. The barrel of her firearm was inches from Landon Rickett's face; Maddie gasped and immediately holstered it.

"I almost shot you, Ricketts!" she exclaimed, her heart hammering in her chest. She looked him over: he was covered in trail dust and appeared haggard. His paint mare, who stood behind him, looked just as tired as he did. "What are you doin' here?"

He gave her a sheepish grin. "Just out and about."

"'Out and about', huh?" Her eyebrows narrowed over her suspicious gaze. "You're the one who's been following me, haven't you?"

He looked away off into the desert and bit his lower lip.

Her eyes narrowed. "You said you were gonna stay in Chuparosa and keep it safe from the revolution. You lyin' bastard."

He looked back at her with the same venomous glare. "Chuparosa has been fine. _You_ haven't been."

She crossed her arms tightly across her chest and lifted her chin. "I've been doin' just fine out on my own, Ricketts. I've already brought in a bounty."

"And you almost died."

"Horse shit! Who told you that?!"

"I have my connections, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_. You forget who you're talking to."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Were you the one who took out Artiz's gang a few days ago?"

He blinked.

She glared at him. "I can do this by myself, Landon. I'm. Doin'. Fine."

" _Now_ look who's lyin'."

She shook her head. "I ain't lyin', Mister Ricketts. You're just bein' overprotective, and it's gettin' really damn annoying." She walked past him back to her camp. Over her shoulder, she growled, "Now git gone. I don't need you out here takin' over my hunts."

He followed behind her closely. "But Maddie, you—"

" _¡_ _NO!"_ she said, spinning back around. _"_ _¡_ _No mas!_ _¡_ _Ahora déjame y vuelve a Chuparosa!"_

He tucked his chin, hiding his face behind his silverbelly hat. "Fine, but as soon as you bring in your next bounty, come back to Chuparosa."

"Fine," she huffed. She felt a pang of guilt, however, as she watched him turn, walk away into the darkness, and mounted his horse.

Their eyes met, and he said, "Be safe, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_. I hope to see you soon."

"You will, _mi maestro. Hasta pronto_."

He nodded, then turned his horse and rode off, disappearing into the darkness.

* * *

The next morning, despite still feeling guilty over her and Landon's abrupt conversation, she loaded her guns full of ammunition, ate a quick breakfast before dawn, then saddled her horse and rode closer to Tesoro Azul.

Flashbacks of the first time she was there flickered through her mind, despite her efforts to forget the embarrassing event. Maddie trotted her horse up the road to the dilapidated settlement, eyes scanning incessantly for any of Herrada's men on watch, but there was no sign of any vigilance from the gang—no one was at the front gates as she approached them. In fact, the gates were left haphazardly open. Maddie blinked as she stopped her horse before them and dismounted.

 _This is strange_ , she thought as she approached and quietly slipped between the doors into Tesoro Azul. She had her pistols at the ready, but as she walked through down, keeping an eye out for any of Selestino's men or the bounty himself, it became clear that he and the gang were no longer here. After searching every building, she returned to her horse outside of Tesoro Azul and stood studying the ground around her. She wasn't an expert at tracking, but even she could tell the gang had left and headed southeast, straight down the road. She mounted her horse and followed the tracks.

They led her to a place called Plata Grande, according to the map Landon had given her. When she was three hundred yards away from it, she stopped her horse, knowing full well that that was were Selestino and his gang now resided. She took out her binoculars and searched the place from a safe distance; the cover of darkness kept her safe from the eyesight of the gang as she scoped out the best tactical approach, and she knew she was left with no choice but to ride up there straight into the fray.

Maddie sighed as she put away the binoculars. _This is stupid…and dangerous_ , she thought as she picked up the reins in one hand and drew her pistol in her other. _But it's the best advantage I have—they won't be expecting me, that's for sure!_ She kicked her horse into a gallop straight at Plata Grande, following the side road as it turned off the main road and up the hill. As she approached, the gang members that were on duty yelped in surprise and began shooting; Maddie fired back, putting the reins in her mouth and drawing her other pistol. Bullets whizzed by her; she flinched but continued to shoot. One by one, the gang members dropped, and as she rode up to the gang's camp, she spotted Selestino scrambling to the nearest horse and mounting up. He kicked and kicked at the grey gelding's sides, making him toss his head and swish his tail as the horse ran down the slope and back towards Tesoro Azul.

Maddie immediately holstered one of her pistols and took the reins out of her mouth. "Selestino, stop or I'll shoot you dead!" Maddie shouted as she reined Gypsy after him.

" _¡_ _Silencio, puta!"_ he shouted back over his shoulder. "I will not be your next bounty!"

" _¡Detente, tonto!"_

" _¡Vete a la mierda!"_

Selestino barreled down the road on the grey gelding, zipping past Tesoro Azul and into the desert in his mad dash to escape. Gypsy had no trouble keeping up with the gelding; she sprinted after him, growing closer and closer by the second. With only fifty yards between them, Maddie, shouted, "Last chance, Herrada! Stop or I'll kill you!"

He kicked the horse even harder, and over his shoulder, he flipped her off.

Maddie held up her pistol, aimed, and fired. Selestino screamed and slumped over in the saddle before he limply fell to the ground. The grey gelding trampled over his corpse before continuing to run off into the desert.

Maddie pulled up her horse next to Selestino's dead body and dismounted. "I warned you, you fool," she growled to the body as she rolled him over, knelt, and tried lifted him up and onto her shoulder. She groaned and struggled for several minutes, until finally, as she panted and cursed, she had him up on her shoulder. She stuttered over to her horse and, after struggling a few minutes more, threw him up onto Gypsy's rump and tied him to the saddle.

 _I need to get stronger if I'm gonna be doin' this job_ , she thought as she stood panting and shaking beside her horse. _Either these men are too big for me to handle, or I'm just that weak_. She frowned, instantly growing angry at herself. _I MUST get stronger, but how?_

Tired and annoyed at herself, she mounted her horse and turned her south, back towards Escalera. By that time, the sun had crept over the horizon, lighting the sky with spectacular streaks of pink, orange, and yellow. She nudged her horse's sides, and the filly blew tiredly as she walked down the road back to town.

* * *

It was noon by the time she got back to Escalera, and like before, the guards at the jail argued with her whether she was the one who killed and brought in Selestino Herrada. However, with his body as proof, along with the splotches of blood on her duster and vest, they had no choice but to pay her the hundred and twenty dollars. Angry and tired, she retired to her room, where she tried washing off the blood from her clothes before eating some rations from her saddle bags and then taking a much-needed rest.

Around three o'clock, she awoke and checked through her bag, taking stock of what supplies she had left. She was almost out of pistol ammunition, as well as food. Thinking it best to stock up, she went to the gunsmith and bought more ammunition, taking her time to look around the small shop before heading over to her horse and unhitching her. She led her mare down the road to the market, where she tied her to a hitching post nearby. She walked through the market, speaking to the locals in their tongue, which surprised and delighted them. She bought fresh produce for herself and her horse, as well as fresh meat from the butcher. As she was paying for her food, a commotion suddenly sparked from nearby.

Violent arguing in Spanish erupted from behind Maddie; she turned and looked back over her shoulder just in time to see a man and an officer in each other's faces…before the civilian drew his gun. The officer drew faster, and before the other man could pull the trigger, he was shot in the head. His body dropped to the ground heavily. Maddie gasped in horror and watched as the officer turned and walked away.

Seconds later, a second gunshot sounded. The officer turned around, gun held out at the ready, and looked to see where the shot had come from. Another civilian, having seen the horrific murder, had drawn his revolver and shot at the officer, shouting, _"¡Asesino!"_

Before long, more civilians had joined in, then officers, and all the sudden, it was a tumultuous shoot-out across the market. Civilians shot at officers; officers shot at civilians. The gunshots came from every direction—Maddie dropped to the ground and drew her guns. She looked frantically around, not knowing who to fire upon…when Landon's words echoed in her mind: _Don't get involved with either side, just stay clear of any dangerous circumstances._

She holstered her guns and began to army-crawl across the ground towards her spooking horse. Gypsy was still tied where she left her, but she was whinnying and rearing up, pulling against her reins. As soon as she was away from immediate danger of getting shot, Maddie stood up, sprinted over to her horse, unhitched her, and leapt up onto her back. She reined her towards the road leading out of town; Gypsy didn't need any coaxing as she sprinted out of Escalera, galloping down the road away from the pandemonium. Her frightened rider clung to her desperately, not letting up on her grip for the rest of the ride.

When Chuparosa was within her sight, it was nearing dusk, and Gypsy had slowed to a walk, slathered with sweat and panting. Maddie sat up in the saddle, finally releasing her grip on the saddlehorn; she patted her horse's neck and said, "Easy, girl. We're safe now."

They passed under the white archway and headed into town, heading to the _cantina_ , where Maddie hitched her horse and loosened the front cinch for her. She gave the filly another pat on the neck before heading inside, straight for the bar.

With a tired sigh, she leaned against the bar on her elbows and looked around, happy to be back. She waved the bartender over, and he smiled as he approached, recognizing her.

" _Tequila,_ _¿_ _verdad?_ " he asked.

She nodded. " _Si, se_ _ñ_ _or. Sólo los mejores_."

" _¿_ _D_ _ó_ _nde has estado?_ " he asked as he retrieved the bottle and a shot glass.

" _En Escalera_. I've been hunting bounties."

He nodded as he poured her a shot. "So I've heard. You're earning _una reputaci_ _ó_ _n, se_ _ñ_ _orita."_

She tipped her hat to him. " _Gracias, Jes_ _ú_ _s_. I'm just doin' what I can do to make this world a better place, even though it's quite terrible in this country right now." She shook her head as she picked up the shot glass and then threw it back without a sputter. She sighed, enjoying the smoothness of the alcohol and the exquisite taste. "Plus, the pay is good."

Jesús laughed. "I believe you. _Bien trabajo, chica_." He poured her another shot, and she picked it up immediately and downed it.

"It's good to be back," she said with a smile.

A familiar voice came from beside her. "I was wondering when you'd be back, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_."

A bright smile burst upon her lips as she turned and faced Landon. She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his jacket, thankful to see him once again. He returned the embrace tightly; she felt his warm breath in her hair.

"It's good to see you, _mi maestro_. You wouldn't believe what all I saw out there in Escalera."

As they released each other and took a step back, Landon chuckled. "Try me. I've seen some bad things in my day."

After ordering a round for her and Landon, she recounted her time in Escalera, about how she witnessed a public execution off the side of the road and the shoot-out between civilians and officers in the market, as well as bringing in Selestino Herrada.

Landon didn't exactly seem fazed, nor did he appear shocked—he merely nodded somberly and replied, "It's just as bad as the people say. I've been told many terrible things, even seen a few myself, but what you've just told me now proves it all to be true." He shook his head. "It's getting worse by the day…"

Maddie nodded and stared down at the shot glass in front of her. "I just don't understand how these men could work for a man like Allende, how they could just mercilessly and ruthlessly shoot innocent people like that…" She shook her head.

"When you're as corrupt as the president and his _generale_ , that's all there is to it. People are ruthless bastards, Maddie. War turns people into monsters."

"I've seen that first-hand, _mi maestro._ I… I don't feel safe out there anymore."

The old gunslinger snorted. "It's not safe anywhere anymore, Maddie. This country is no longer safe, not for anyone."

The young lady looked at him. "Do you think we should leave?"

He nodded. "Yes, and very soon. Maddie, I want you to keep your things packed and ready to go—have it all in your saddlebags in case we need to leave in a hurry."

"You want to leave now?"

"No. You just got back to town, and your horse must be tired."

Maddie nodded. "She is. I want to give her a couple days rest before we think about leaving, if that's all right with you, _se_ _ñ_ _or_."

Landon nodded as well as he picked up his shot glass. "Then it's settled. We'll leave in a few days."

Maddie picked up her glass; they clinked glasses and drank their shots in unison.

"By the way, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_ ," Landon added, "happy sixteenth birthday."

* * *

Two days later, they were in the _cantina_ discussing leaving the country over a few drinks. After coming to the decision to leave later that day, Maddie went to her horse, saddled her up, and hitched her outside of the cantina. As she came back inside, she recognized John Marston as he walked in in front of her. She stopped at the bar, ordered another drink, and watched as John walked down the steps towards Landon, who was sitting nearby the blackjack table.

Landon chuckled as he saw John walk towards his table. He lifted his cup to him and greeted, "Hey, _gringo_!"

"Mister Ricketts," John greeted back as he slowed to a stop before the old man.

"Come on in, sit down and have yourself a drink."

John walked forward and joined him at the table. "Sure." As Landon poured him a drink, he took a seat and asked, "Say, any word of Javier Escuella?"

"No, nothing yet." Landon looked him in the eyes and added, "Say, why are you after him anyway?"

"We're old friends. We was kinda…educated together."

The old man snorted. "So, what is this, some kind of high school reunion sort of thing?"

"Something like that," John responded sadly. "Well, you…you've killed people. You've lived that life."

Landon sighed. "That I have."

"And I tried to stop. I mean, I don't know. I tried to go straight. I did. I left the gang after the gang left me. Left me to die after I'd been shot. They'd all gone crazy anyhow. Our old leader, fella you probably heard of… anyway, he more or less lost his mind, went and shot a bunch of people unfair like. I got shot in a robbery. They left me, and I left them."

Landon chuckled. "That's how it goes." He held out his glass to John, and they clinked them together then took a sip in unison.

John shook his head as he continued, "Already had me a woman. Got me a farm. Then I got me more trouble."

"Sure," Landon laughed.

John looked the old man in the eyes as he stated, "I been sent to track down the men I used to run with. Track 'em, kill 'em."

"Well, if you don't, someone else will. There's no escape. Look at me. I spent twenty-five years killing men. Look at me now. Sitting around here like some low rent would-be messiah." He snorted as he poured himself and John another drink. "We're relics. C'mon, have yourself another drink and let's wallow in a little self-pity."

"Sounds like a plan," John said, and they clinked glasses once more.

"To your health," Landon added.

Maddie rolled her eyes and sighed; she leaned against the bar and looked down at her shot glass before throwing it back.

"Mister Ricketts!"

Maddie turned and looked over her shoulder to see Luisa rushing into the _cantina_. _Her again_ , she thought with a shake of her head. _What does she want now?_

"Mister Ricketts!" Luisa said again, jogging up to the table as the old gunslinger and John stood up from their seats. "Thank the Lord I have found you." She met gazes with John, then, and added, "And you, Mister Marston."

"Luisa, sit down," Landon suggested. "You alright?"

The young girl sat down, panting as she replied, "I'm well, sir, but Allende is sending more men to their deaths." As she continued, Landon and John sat back down. "Prisoners who have not been tried. A prominent writer, Castillo, and a local official whose only crime was not putting the small holders on the street when they were late with taxes."

"Writers and government officials," Landon growled. "For once, I agree with Allende. Some men need to be killed."

"Mister Ricketts!" Luisa exclaimed.

"I was just joking. Where are they?"

"Out near Escalera."

The old gunslinger looked at John and gestured him to follow as he stood up. "Let's hang up our self-pity and go shoot ourselves some bad guys." He looked back at Luisa and said, "You're going to be all right."

John stood up and followed Landon and Luisa.

"Thank you, both of you," Luisa said, looking from one man to the other.

Together, the three left the _cantina_. As they passed the bar, Landon and Maddie met gazes, and Landon nodded. Maddie immediately fell into step behind the trio.

"Alright, let's head for Escalera," Landon said as he mounted his paint mare. John mounted his palomino stallion. Maddie rushed over to Gypsy, unhitched her, and mounted up, looking to Landon for guidance. Her heart thundered in her chest; it felt like this was it...This was how they'd leave….

"No rush," Landon chuckled as they kicked their horses into a lope out of town. "I'm sure they'll hold the executions 'til we get there."

Maddie urged her horse after the two men, and as the trio rode out of town, she lingered behind the two as they rode down the road side by side.

"Luisa was pretty shaken up," John commented.

"She's angry," Landon replied. "This war is getting dirtier by the day. People are being executed just for having an opinion."

"Allende seems to have more enemies by the day."

"Perhaps you would know. Rumor has it you've been making all kinds of new friends."

"I don't pay much attention to rumors."

"Just be careful, John. Keep jumping from one side of the fence to the other, you might just get impaled on it."

"I have to find these two men. With respect, how I do it is no concern of yours."

"Choose your tone rightly, partner. Remember who you're talking to."

"How could I ever forget?"

"And who are you, John Marston? Apart from a rat feeding every other hand he can find? _My name means something_. All you've done is kill a few peasants. And the only real outlaw you've taken on dropped you like a bad habit."

"Now, I politely ask you to watch _your_ tone, Ricketts."

"All I'm saying is…maybe there's a reason why people around here don't want to talk."

They rode in silence for a moment before Landon spoke up again.

"You must miss your family."

"It's the only thing that keeps me goin'."

"You know, you remind me a lot of myself. How I used to be. Stubborn and angry."

"You ain't changed all that much."

"I always thought I'd lived a charmed life. I've known wealth, respect, love, even fame."

As they came upon the main road leading to Escalera, a wagon train cut across the road suddenly.

"Look! It's an army convoy! I think I see the prisoners in those wagons!"

Without hesitation, John and Landon began firing at the soldiers on horseback escorting the wagons. Maddie joined in, and amidst the pandemonium, one of the wagons took off, leaving the mounted soldiers behind to fend off the attackers.

"John, see if you can take control of that first wagon!" Landon commanded amidst the roaring of gunfire.

John took off after the wagon, spurring his palomino furiously and leaving Maddie and Landon to finish off the soldiers. Once the men were disposed of, the old gunslinger dismounted his horse and climbed up onto the driver side of the wagon. He whistled for his horse to follow as he flicked the reins, and the wagon took off after the first. Maddie rode hard alongside Landon and the wagon, and as they caught up, Maddie watched as John shot down the driver of the first wagon. As his body fell off the wagon, the horses slowed to a stop, now that they were no longer under control. John stopped his horse beside the wagon and got up onto the driver's side as well.

"Head for Ramita Baya bridge!" Landon shouted over the thundering of hooves and wagon wheels. "We'll take them over the border!"

With John in front, Landon in the middle, and Maddie bringing up the rear, the three headed down the road towards the bridge, urging the horses faster. Soon, Ramita Baya bridge came into sight, and as John turned the wagon down the sideroad towards the bridge, soldiers appeared off to the sides, bursting out of the bushes on horseback. John, Landon, and Maddie made quick work of them all, shooting them down with deadly precision as the wagons barreled towards the bridge. As they crossed the bridge, John urged the horses onward, trampling several soldiers who were foolishly firing at him on foot.

At last, as they crossed the second bridge and onto American soil, John slowed the wagon, as did Landon. Eventually, they stopped them and climbed off. Maddie pulled up her panting horse nearby, and soon, Landon's mare and John's stallion followed suit. She watched as Landon and John freed the men inside the wagons. The men jumped out, and one of them climbed up onto the second wagon and drove off with it and several men sitting on the back.

Landon and John turned and faced each other.

"Now, we'll handle it from here," Landon said. "I know you got other matters to attend to."

"It's been nice riding with you, Mister Ricketts," John said.

Landon nodded and chuckled. "And you too. You took me back to another time. Talk to Luisa. She'll help you and she's well-connected in that other land. I hope you find what you're looking for, Marston." He held out his hand to the man, and John shook it graciously. Then Landon walked over to the first wagon.

"You know what I'm looking for," Marston said.

Landon chortled as he stopped and looked back at him. "If you say so, Marston. If you say so."

Landon and Maddie watched as John mounted his palomino stud, reined him back around towards Mexico, and kicked him into a lope back towards the perilous country.

Maddie rode her horse up to Landon. "He's either very brave or very stupid to go back," Maddie said as she stopped Gypsy beside her mentor.

"Maybe so, Maddie, but he's got his reasons to go back, and we've got ours to not." The old man turned and looked up at her. "Come on, we've better get these wagons off the road and out of sight." He climbed back up atop the wagon and gathered the reins. Maddie grabbed Landon's horse's reins and ponied her behind her horse.; she urged Gypsy after the wagon as Landon flicked the reins atop the horses' backs and drove them up the road into New Austin territory.

The road curved around thick brush, jutting rocks, and rolling hills. Before long, they came upon several oil rigs and many a pitched tent with men ambling about. As the wagon rounded the curve in the road, Landon eased the horses to a walk as they neared the tents and then stopped the wagon off the side of the road. Maddie stopped Gypsy and the paint mare beside the wagon and looked up at her mentor for further instruction.

"We'll rest here for the night," Landon said as he climbed down.

After Landon paid for one of the tents for the night, Maddie unsaddled their horses. Soon, the old gunslinger started up a fire and cooked up a quick supper from the supplies Maddie had in her saddle bags. The young woman sat down next to the old man with a tired sigh and stared at the dancing flames, her mind in a whirl after the events of the day. For a time, she and Landon sat and ate in silence. Two minutes passed before she broke the silence with a bemused chuckle.

Landon looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

She shook her head. "It's just weird not being in Mexico. I didn't expect to be back in the States this evening."

He nodded. "Neither did I, but things turned out for the best—we're not in a dangerous country that's at war with itself anymore. And you're safe: that's all that matters."

She looked over at him. "So…"

He blinked. "So…?"

"What do we do now?"

He sighed and looked into the fire. "I'm not sure."

"What are you gonna do, Landon, now that we're back in the States? I thought you said you didn't want to be back."

He snorted through his nose. "I didn't want to leave until Mexico started having problems with rebellion again. Now, I'm not so sure. I'll have your answer by morning, though." He looked pointedly at her. "What about you?"

She shrugged. "Don't know. Might head up to Blackwater and visit my mother's grave. It's been a while."

"And what about your father? Will you see him, too?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know, Landon."

"You should. He needs to know you're alive and well. You owe him that much."

She frowned and looked off to the side. "Maybe so, but…"

"But?"

"We'll see."

She felt his large, warm arm drape over her shoulders. "No matter, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_. Things will work out; they always do."

She leaned against his chest and sighed. " _Ya veremos. Pero no sé qué hacer ahora. El camino no está claro para mí._ "

" _Todo va a estar bien. Lo que será será_."

* * *

The next morning, they woke up, had breakfast and coffee, then saddled up their horses. It took most of the day for them to ride to Armadillo, and by the time they reached town, it was dusk. So, they dropped off their horses at the livery, got a room in the saloon, and spent the night there. When morning came, they went back to the livery. Maddie began saddling up her horse, and by the time she finished with the back cinch, she turned and looked back at Landon, who had not saddled his horse.

She blinked. They met gazes, and neither spoke for a long moment.

"So…," she began.

Landon smirked sadly. "So…you're heading off to Blackwater, then?"

She tucked her chin down into her red bandana and hid behind the brim of her black Stetson. A lump began to settle in her throat, and she croaked, "Yeah."

"Tell your pa I said hi."

She nodded and sniffed loudly.

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "If you ever need a place a stay or an extra gun for a bounty hunt, you can find me around here. I might have a few more hunts in me yet."

Tears welled in her eyes. "I'll keep that in mind."

They threw their arms around each other. Maddie buried her face in his shirt and screwed her eyes tight, hoping to stall her tears. She felt Landon's hot breath in her hair; his mustache tickled the side of her neck.

"Thank you, Landon, for everything."

"Any time, _mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_."

Slowly, they let go and stepped away from each other, but still holding onto each other at arm's length and looking the other over one more time.

" _Vaya con Dios_ , Maddie, and give 'em hell. Go out there and make a difference. I'll see you 'round, kid."

"You'll see me soon, Mister Ricketts. I promise."

He lifted a hand to her cheek and wiped away the tears with his thumb. " _Hasta luego, mi ni_ _ñ_ _a_."

A soft sob escaped her as she nodded. " _Hasta pronto, mi padre_."

With a smile and a glistening in his eyes, Landon leaned down and kissed her forehead. Maddie stood weeping softly as he leaned away, turned, mounted his horse, and reined him around. He set heels to the mare's sides, and the horse took off down the road at a brisk lope. Before he disappeared from her sight, however, he stopped and turned the paint back around, only to pull back on the reins and make his mount rear up on his hind legs. The old gunslinger took off his silverbelly hat and waved it in the air, before the horse landed back down on all fours. He set his hat back on top of his head, then turned the horse back around, and galloped off out of sight, leaving his apprentice in a trail of dust and a lifetime of cherished memories.

Maddie stood staring where he disappeared, weeping and yearning to see him ride back over the hill towards her. _But he has his life, and I have mine_ , she thought sadly as she wrapped an arm around Gypsy's neck, seeking comfort in the only friend she now had. She patted her horse's neck affectionately and looked the mare in the eyes as she said, "Well, Gypsy, it looks like it's just me and you now." The horse looked back at her with unblinking bravery and camaraderie. Maddie smiled and petted her once more. "Come on, girl. Let's hit the road."

She mounted up, gathered the reins in her hands, turned her horse northeast, and squeezed her heels to Gypsy's sides. The rocky mountain mare trotted forward, ears perked and white tail trailing behind her loftily.


	17. Chapter 17: Return

The grass crunched beneath her boots as Maddie walked across the graveyard past the church; her feet knew the path as she passed by headstones in the center of the row, towards the last grave, and came to stand before it with the wind sighing peacefully across the graveyard of Blackwater. The bouquet of violet snowdrops felt heavy in her hands as she knelt and placed them before the headstone. She took off her hat and held it by the brim in front of her heart. She sat down in front of the grave and gave a sad sigh as she read the inscription:

 _Irene Anne Ross_

 _1859—1910_

 _Beloved Mother and Wife_

 _An Angel On Earth & In Heaven_

Tears enveloped her sight as she said, "Hello, Mama. I'm sorry for not visiting sooner, but I was in Mexico. Can you believe it? I met Landon Ricketts; he taught me to be a gunslinger and a bounty hunter. You've always said I could do great things, so I guess I have lived up to your prediction, Mama. I've brought in seven people so far, criminals of all sorts. That's what I'm gonna do for a living, I suppose. I can't really imagine seeing myself settling down with a rich man and having children—no, none of that nonsense. You wanted better for me, anyways."

The tears flowed faster as she thought about her late mother, and that all she had left of her was a picture of her in the locket she wore around her neck and a grave to visit.

"How terribly fast time passes," she continued with a sad shake of her head. "I can't believe it's been three years, and yet it feels like you were taken away from me only yesterday…"

A replay of the last moments of her mother's life flashed in her mind's eye: Irene standing between her fourteen-year-old daughter and the outlaws with their guns pointed at her, her bravery unwavering and her face set in a hateful visage at the men who dared to threaten her family and home. Maddie flinched as she remembered how sharp and loud the gunshot was that took her mother's life, and how quickly she fell… the way her mother's lifeless body struck the ground and lay sprawled in an unsettling fashion… the single gaping wound in the center of her chest and the puddle of blood that pooled underneath her… Maddie shuddered and drove the ghastly memories back down into the deepest, darkest recesses of her mind, sealing them away from her consciousness to whittle at her slowly from within once more.

"You should've been there with me, Mama. Mexico is a beautiful country, albeit a rather dangerous one. The rebellion was quite something to witness; you should've been with me on my bounty hunts. Landon taught me everything he knew; he even taught me how to speak Spanish." She looked out past the graveyard fence, out across the Great Plains. "I'll have to visit him soon. I miss that old coot." Her gaze returned to her mother's gravestone. "You would've loved him, Mama. He's a great man, even though he can sure test your patience. He is a starchy old timer, that's for sure. Hell, I wish he would've come here with me; otherwise, you'd be meeting him right now."

Her thoughts drifted to her father, and her mood turned sour. A hateful frown enveloped her mouth, and her brow furrowed as she said, "I suppose Father hardly ever visits you, since he's got that _bitch_ keepin' him company." She scoffed. "I still can't believe he remarried so quickly…Did he even love you, Mama? Did you love him? Hell, why even marry someone when you'll just hate them eventually? I just don't see the point in it, really, other than to have children, and even then, is it worth it? All I know is if a man takes interest in me, he's gonna be a sorry son of a bitch, 'cause I refuse to get married. I like bein' free and able to do whatever the hell I want whenever I want. I just wish you could've been able to do that, Mama. You deserved so much better."

The tears blurred her vision and trickled down her cheeks. Maddie buried her face in her hands and wept heavily. Her sobs wracked her body viciously; her sorrow wreaked havoc from within. She couldn't remember the last time she wept so hard, but it felt as if it had been building up until that moment and engulfing her entirely. Of the countless times she'd cried, only a handful of them were like this: an eruption of grief in urgent need of release. And it _was_ a release, for as soon as it came over her, after ten minutes, it was over with and gone, and her body felt cleansed…for the time being. She wiped her wet face with her sleeves and ran her hands over her puffy, red eyes. She took a deep, refreshing breath, filling her lungs, before releasing it slowly. Her legs creaked and quivered as she stood up, picked up her hat, and dusted herself off. She returned her hat to her head and gave her mother's grave one last look-over.

"I'll see you soon, Mama. I love you and miss you."

She turned and walked out of the cemetery to her hitched horse in front of the church. Without looking back, she unhitched and mounted Gypsy, then turned her down the road toward town.

Nothing much had changed since she had last been there, perhaps a few more houses popped up on the outer edges of the growing town, but besides that, Blackwater was just as she remembered it. She turned her horse onto Wapiti Avenue, towards the train station, and pulled up her horse at the hitching post. She tied Gypsy to it and walked up the steps, past several ambling men and women who gave her quizzical looks, and pushed open the double doors of the train station. She stopped before the bulletin board and frowned when she didn't see a single wanted poster. Grumbling, she walked back outside and mounted her horse, turning her back the way they came. She turned Gypsy right, across the partially-cobble-stoned street, towards the police station, and stopped before the building. Maddie dismounted, tied her horse to the nearest bench in the plaza, and walked up the front steps.

She pushed the double doors open and walked up to the clerk sitting behind the counter.

"Excuse me, sir," she began hesitantly.

The clerk looked disinterested and bored as he looked up at her. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Yes. I was wondering if I could possibly see Edgar Ross this afternoon, if he's in his office today."

The man blinked. "And who are you, miss?"

"Maddie Ross, his niece. I was wondering if I could see him—it's been a while."

His eyes widened, and he gestured exuberantly to the door to the left. "Head on up, miss! He's been looking for you for quite some time."

She blinked. "He has?"

"Yes, ma'am. Everyone has. He'll be thrilled to see you!"

"Thank you, sir," she said as she walked to the door. She opened it, stepped through, and closed it behind her as she ascended the steps to her uncle's office. she got to the top of the stairs and strolled up to his office door, but then hesitated in front of it. Her hand hovered before it, and after a moment of deliberation, she rapped on it with her knuckles.

"Who is it?" a gruffy voice came from within.

Maddie smirked. "Someone you haven't seen in a while."

Footsteps briskly approached the door. It opened, revealing her uncle on the other side. He stared bewilderedly at her, mouth agape and brow furrowed. "Do I know you, miss?"

"I should hope so," she laughed. "I'm your niece."

He blinked. "Maddie? Is that you?"

She smirked. "Hello, Uncle Edgar."

A bright, disbelieving smile burst upon his face, and he stepped across the threshold to envelop her in a tight hug. "Maddie! My God, where have you been?! I've been looking for you for a year!"

"You have?" she asked as she hugged him back

"Of course! Why wouldn't I be looking for my favorite niece?"

"I'm your _only_ niece, Uncle Edgar," she chuckled as he released her and looked her over at arm's length. She glanced over him as well. He hadn't changed much…maybe a few more grey hairs in his beard and mustache, but still, the tenacious man she'd come to know and love. "I see you're still goin' strong. How have you been?"

"Busy, as usual, between running this town's law enforcement, looking for you, and other matters I've been attending to. It's been a busy year for me." His eyes flicked across her once more. "It would appear it's been a busy year for you as well." He gestured to her attire. "What on earth are you wearing, girl? Where is your dress? And why do you have so many guns?"

Maddie laughed. "Why don't we step inside your office and I'll tell you all about it?"

He acquiesced with a nod, ushered her in with a wave of his hand, and closed the door behind her. His office had stayed the same, except for a few more metals adorning the walls. In the corner, behind his mahogany desk, the American flag hung from a pole. Maddie took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Edgar's desk and watched as he walked around the desk and sat down behind it.

He looked her over and laughed. "I never expected you to show up out of the blue like this. Your father and I search tirelessly for you over this past year, then out of nowhere, you come into my office. So, tell me, what happened since I last saw you? Where have you been?"

Maddie took a deep breath, then began recounting her adventure, from the moment she left her father's farm in the middle of the night, to meeting Landon in Mexico and her bounty hunts, to helping a wagon full of innocents across the border and then riding up to Blackwater.

He clasped his hands atop his desk and looked at her with a dubious gleam in his eyes. "You sure do love to tell stories, my little niece. Where have you been _really_?"

"What I just told you, in Mexico, then here."

He blinked and ran a hand across his mustache.

She narrowed his eyes at him. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Madeline, you come in here after a year of no word and no trace of your existence, dressed like a man and telling me some far-fetched story that sounds like you read it in a dime-store novel. Girls don't shoot wear men's attire and shoot guns, much less go bounty hunting, for that matter."

Maddie bristled in her seat. "Of all the people I could confide in, I would've thought you'd be the one to go to. I would've thought you'd be proud and excited for me, Uncle, not disapproving. I guess I was wrong to think such ambitious thoughts." She stood up out of her chair. "I'll see myself out then."

Edgar stood up as well with an outstretched hand. "Maddie, wait. Please, sit down. You just got back."

She looked him over with a skeptical countenance. "Why should I stay, when all you'll do is laugh? You don't believe me, so why try to change your mind?"

"Because you're family, and I haven't seen you in a long time. It's only fair we properly catch up and spend some quality time together." He gestured to her seat. "Please, sit and stay a while. I'm sure the long ride back must've been tiring."

She nodded and sat back down. As he took his seat, she asked, "So, what have you been busy with? Last time we talked, you said you had a special case to solve."

He nodded as he took his seat. "Have you ever heard of a man by the name of John Marston?"

She nodded. "I saw him down in Mexico a few times. Said he was after a few men…"

Edgar raised his eyebrows. "John is a dangerous criminal, as are the men he's assigned to bring in."

Maddie blinked. "How do you figure?"

"He was a former member of Dutch Van der Linde's gang."

"So why is he after them when he used to ride with them?"

"Let's just say he has a good reason to do so."

She blinked. "And that would be…?"

"Penance."

"I see."

"He has yet to bring in the men, but I trust he'll do so soon."

Maddie frowned and looked off to the side. _This Marston fellow is quite the mystery_ , she thought. _I sure as hell don't know what to think of that man…_

"You seem upset, Madeline," her uncle noted. "What's wrong?"

"Mister Marston didn't seem like the dangerous man you made him out to be. Sure, he was damn good at killin' men, and he could ride well, but still…"

"Don't let him fool you, my little niece. Men like that put up an innocent front to trick young ladies such as yourself and catch them off-guard."

She scoffed. "Like hell. Let 'em try. My gun will be drawn before they can bat an eyelash at me."

"I'll believe it when I see it, Madeline."

She glared him down. "You don't believe me, huh? Well, I'll show you just how fast I am." She stood up and beckoned for him to follow. "Come on, Uncle. Let's go outside: you'll be eating your words when I show you and every disbelieving son of a bitch here what I can do." She turned sharply on her heel and left his office, stormed down the steps, and out the double doors of the police station. She heard Edgar trailing after, shouting her name, but she didn't stop until they stood out in the city park near the gazebo.

Edgar panted as he jogged up to her. "What are you doing, Maddie?"

"Showing you what I'm capable of."

She looked around, then pointed and said, "You see that street sign, way past the gazebo over by the city hall?"

He nodded, then watched as she drew her right pistol, aimed, and fired in one fluid, quick motion. His eyebrows lifted. She looked at him as she holstered her gun.

He blinked. "Go on."

She pointed out several parts of buildings, all in different directions from each other, then with a speed and accuracy almost as quick as Landon himself, she drew her gun and shot at all the spots she pointed out, all within five seconds. Afterwards, she twirled her gun on her trigger finger several times before holstering it.

He regarded her with a sheepish look. "Where did you learn to be so good, Maddie? You're faster than some of the men in the Bureau."

"Landon Ricketts taught me, like I said. Uncle, I wasn't telling you tall tales—I really have been bringing in bounties this past year in Mexico."

"Where is Ricketts now?"

"Probably still in Armadillo. At least, that's where he said he'd be."

Edgar looked his niece over with a strange gleam in his eye. "You know, the Bureau of Investigation could use a sharpshooter like you." He frowned. "But I doubt they'd hire a woman."

Maddie frowned as well. "Uncle Edgar, with all due respect, don't talk to me like that. I'm a bounty hunter, after all."

"So you claim, yet I've never heard of a lady bounty hunter before, nor have I heard of any of your hunts, much less seen you in action. Don't take my skepticism so harshly, Madeline, but it's just unnatural for a woman to be doing such unladylike things."

She glared at him. "I'm not like other women, Uncle."

"Maybe so." He looked her over for a second longer before he continued, "Perhaps you could help West Elizabeth out, then, since you claim to be a bounty hunter. Blackwater and Manzanita Post have been having trouble with some of the locals. There's been a few…instances, and several men are wanted because of them. Perhaps you could track them down and bring them in?"

"Perhaps. What are the prices?"

He beckoned her to follow him, and she did, back into the police station and up to his office. She stood before his desk as he went around to the other side of it and, after some digging, procured a stack of papers. He gestured to the stack with a nod and said, "Everything you'll need to know about those bounties is in those papers, including the bounty posters. If you like, you can take it and accept the hunts. That is, if you wish to do so."

She didn't hesitate to scoop up the pile of information. She stuffed it in her satchel and said, "Consider them in custody, Uncle. I'll have your men in jail in no time."

"If necessary, Archer and I can help you."

"We'll see."

He sat down in his leather chair with a sigh and looked at her. "What say we celebrate your return, huh? Have you ever had whiskey, Little Miss Bounty Hunter?"

She grinned. "Of course. And the finest tequila known to man down in Mexico."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Really now? So did Ricketts teach you something other than to shoot and bring in the bad guys?"

She chuckled. "You could say that."

He rummaged through one of the drawers in his desk and brought out a couple glasses and a bottle of whiskey, then set them on the desk. He poured them their drinks, then handed her one of the glasses. He also took out a cigar and a box of matches. "How about smoking? Did he also teach you that?"

Maddie shook her head as she took a seat. "No. He said it was too unlady-like, and that I was too young." She rolled her eyes and took a sip of the whiskey.

"Well, that is true," he said as he clipped the round end of the cigar. He struck the match across the side of the box and began puffing on the cigar, bringing it to life. Blue smoke quickly plumed around Edgar's face as he took several deep puffs, making sure the cigar was well-lit.

Maddie watched him, entranced. "How do you do that?"

"Do what, smoke?"

She nodded.

He smirked as he sat down behind his desk, holding the cigar aloft and looking at it as if it were a prize. "Unlike cigarettes, my dear niece, cigars are the finer form of tobacco. Smoking one is an art, and it should be enjoyed slowly. A cigarette is a quick, fleeting smoke, while a cigar is contemplative, pleasurable, and, as I've said before, an art. Plus, paired with a fine glass of whiskey or scotch, it's an enthralling experience. Here, I'll show you."

She watched as he puffed on the cigar three times, his cheeks sucking in as he did so. The blue smoke billowed and flowed, spewing out of the red cherry of the cigar. After he let the smoke roll out of his mouth, he lifted his glass to his lips and took a refreshing sip of the whiskey, then exhaled happily as he set his glass down on the desk. He looked at his niece, then at the smoke, then back at her and grinned.

"Would you like to try?"

She blinked. "Sure, I guess. What do I do?"

He leaned forward and handed her the cigar. "Don't inhale the smoke, just…puff on it. Hold the smoke in your cheeks, then let it roll out of your mouth."

"And if I inhale it?"

His grin widened. "You'll get sick."

"Hmm," she said as she looked at the cigar, studying it. She lifted it to her lips and put it in her mouth, then, like a fish out of water, opened and closed her lips around the cigar.

"No, no, no. You're doing it wrong."

"Well, I don't know what I'm doin'."

"Here, let me show you again," he said, beckoning for the cigar back.

She handed it back to him, then sat and watched closely as he demonstrated how to smoke once more. She blinked; something inside clicked in her head. He handed her the cigar back, and just like her uncle, she wrapped her lips around the cigar and puffed on it, tasting the smoky, robust flavor of the smoke and the tobacco. She blinked and coughed as she tried letting the smoke roll out of her mouth, and her eyes began to water as the smoke stung her eyes. She waved the smoke away from her face, still coughing and sputtering.

Edgar laughed. "Well, that's a start, I suppose. You're catching on, little niece."

"I suppose so," she said in-between coughs. She leaned forward, picked up her glass, and took a large draught. She blinked as the flavor of the whiskey enhanced the flavor of the cigar, and for a long moment, she sat puzzled and entranced at the experience, getting drunk off it.

"See? I told you. Now, do it the other way around."

She took another drink of her whiskey then several puffs of the cigar afterwards. To her amazement, the flavor of the whiskey was enhanced this time. "Huh," she said as she leaned forward and handed him the cigar. "That's…amazing!

"Isn't it?" he replied with a gleam in his eye. "If there's one thing I must insist upon you, it's that you take the time to slow down in this fast and busy life to enjoy the finer things. Cigars and whiskey are my forte in that retrospect, and I savor them as often as my work allows."

"Which isn't often, I imagine," Maddie assumed as she lifted her glass to her lips once more.

He nodded sadly. "Life has a way of keeping you busy, as I'm sure you've found out with this bounty hunting business. Say, how many men have you brought in so far?"

She thought for a moment, then said, "Six."

He blinked as he brought the cigar up to his lips and took a few refreshing puffs. "Hmm," he said, releasing the smoke.

"What? Are you disappointed?"

"No. Impressed. Six is a good start. How much money have you made so far?"

Again, she thought on it before answering. "About… one-thousand, four-hundred."

His eyebrows rose. "You're making good money, then, my dear."

"I suppose I am, Uncle." She recounted her bounty hunts, explaining in detail her and Landon's methods, as well as how many men she'd brought in dead versus alive. Edgar sat puffing on the cigar, sipping on his whiskey, and listening intently all the while. After she was done, she downed the rest of her whiskey and sat the empty glass on his desk.

"Want another?" he asked, reaching for the bottle.

Maddie shook her head and said, "I ought to go put my horse in the stables and get a room for the night. It's getting late."

Edgar bit his lip, then suggested, "You could go home, Maddie. You know your father has been missing you. He hasn't seen you in a long time."

Maddie glared at him. "That's the last place I wanna go to."

"Then where will you be staying? Your aunt and I have a spare bedroom, you know…"

She shook her head adamantly. "I'll just get a room at the saloon."

"The saloon?! Madeline, that's not a place for a young lady such as yourself!"

She scoffed. "It's not like it's the slums or anything, Uncle. This is Blackwater: it's a nice town."

"But there's…working women there and…lonely, desperate men."

"And they'll think twice before even lookin' at me wrong," she said, pushing aside her duster and showing off her pistols.

Edgar frowned. "Just be careful, my dear. The last thing I want to hear about is your untimely demise at the hands of some degenerate."

She laughed. "You worry too much, Uncle," she said as she stood up. She tipped her hat to him. "Thanks for the whiskey, and for showing me how to smoke. We'll have to do this again sometime soon. Hopefully I'll be better at cigars."

Edgar laughed as well as he stood up and walked out from behind the desk. "If you need a lesson, you know where to find me. Perhaps you could swing by tomorrow morning? We can discuss tactics on your future bounty hunts."

She nodded. "Sure, Uncle. I'll see you tomorrow mornin' then." She made her way to the door; her hand came to rest on the doorknob, and she turned and looked back at him with a warm smile. "It's good to see you again, Uncle Edgar."

He smiled back. "You, too, Madeline. Get some rest and be careful."

"I will. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Maddie."

With that, she opened the door and stepped through the threshold, closing the door softly behind her.


	18. Chapter 18: Tyrant

**Chapter Track** : _Tyrant_ – Disturbed

* * *

She awoke the next morning exhausted and fuming—she didn't get much sleep after getting a room at the saloon, thanks to a prostitute and her "client" in the room next to hers. For most of the night, she was forced to listen to their moans and groans, as well as the bedframe banging a steady rhythm against the wall. She tried covering her ears with her hands, as well as the pillows, but to no avail. At last, in the early hours of the morning, they stopped, and Maddie finally got some sleep.

Grumpy and in a fog, she got up, ate her morning rations, and walked out to face the day. She walked to the police station and went back up to Edgar's office.

She once again politely knocked on the door, to which he immediately opened it and greeted her warmly, "Good morning, little niece!"

"Mornin'," she half-heartedly replied.

He chuckled as he stepped to the side to let her in. "Rough night last night?"

"You could say that," she grumbled as she passed him and walked over to his desk. She sighed tiredly as she took a seat.

"Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, please."

He poured her a cup from the percolator sitting atop his desk, then handed it to her and said, "So what, did you have a few more after you got to the saloon?"

She shook her head and cringed as last night's events crawled back into her memory. She hastily sipped at her coffee. "No. A damn prostitute was… "entertaining" a man in the room next door."

Her uncle's face flushed, and he chuckled nervously. "Well, it is a saloon, Maddie. You chose to stay there."

Maddie rolled her eyes and took another drink.

"You know…you should've stayed at your f—"

"I ain't stayin' there, Uncle. Never again."

"Alright." He paused to take a sip of his coffee, then looked her in the eyes. "Have you seen your father yet?"

She shook her head, her long dark tresses waving.

He gaped at her. "Why not?!"

"I don't want to see him… or _her_."

Edgar gave her a scornful frown. "Madeline, he's your father. He's been so worried!"

She glared up at him from her cup. "Uncle, I ain't here to talk about my father. I'm here to talk about bounties and how I'm gonna bring 'em in. That's it."

He blinked again, then cleared his throat and said, "Very well." He walked around to the back of his desk and sat down. He sipped at his coffee, then said, "Well, what do you want to know?"

She procured the stack of folders from her satchel and sat them on his desk in front of her. "Well, I've brought in six men without really knowing much about them besides what was on their bounty posters. There's gotta be more to these guys than what's on those posters."

Edgar nodded. "Everything about those bounties is in those files. I admire your initiative, Maddie. It's smart to know who you're up against. To know one's enemy is to be victorious: knowledge is power, and in the case of bounty hunting, that knowledge will ensure your success."

Maddie began flipping through the files, scanning each man's file and their warrants. The names Grant Avery, Charlie Hinkle, Ralph Stricker, Kent Galloway, Honovi, and Zebedee Nash became engrained in her memory, as well as each man's bounty, both alive and dead. "I'll definitely read through these before I go after these men. Thank you, Uncle."

Edgar opened his mouth to reply, but a knock on the door interrupted him. Maddie looked at the door, then back at her uncle, and asked, "You expectin' someone?"

Edgar blinked. "Not really." He looked back at the door and said, "Come in!"

To Maddie's surprise and dismay, her father Phillip Ross burst through the door, followed by Archer Fordham looking sheepishly at Edgar, then at Maddie.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, Edgar, but your brother insisted I take him to his daughter after I told him she was found."

Maddie didn't have time to process this as her father ran across the room and threw his arms around her, embracing her tightly. "Thank God you're alive!" he exclaimed. "I was so worried, Madeline!"

Maddie didn't know what to say. She halfheartedly hugged him back as she glared at Archer over her father's shoulder. Archer avoided her piercing gaze as he looked at Edgar, who gave him an annoyed countenance. Maddie then stood awkward and tense as her father released her and held her at arm's length, looking her over with teary eyes. She looked him over as well and couldn't help but notice how much he'd aged in a year. There were more lines and wrinkles across his face; he looked more sorrowful than ever yet more overjoyed than she ever thought he'd be. His hair was whiter than she remembered, and he appeared thinner, paler…

" _Where have you been?!_ " he asked desperately, tears welling in his eyes.

Maddie stepped back out of his grasp and avoided his gaze. "I've been…busy."

"With what? You just _disappeared_ , Madeline. I was scared to death! I thought someone kidnapped you, or worse… Now, tell me exactly where you've been, and why."

Maddie pulled aside her duster, showing her duel semi-automatic pistols, and rested her hands on her hips. "I've been in Mexico bringin' in bounties with Landon Ricketts."

Phillip stared open-mouthed at his daughter. He blinked twice…before he threw back his head and guffawed. " _You_ met _the_ Landon Ricketts?! _You_ were in _Mexico_?!"

Maddie nodded. " _S_ _í, estuve en México. ¿Qué, no me crees?_ "

Edgar, Archer, and Phillip exchanged befuddled looks.

" _Y sí, conocí a Landon Ricketts. Él me enseño a ser un pistolero y cazarre compensas._ "

"Maddie, what the hell kind of gibberish are you saying?" her father asked.

"I was speaking in Spanish. I told you I was in Mexico and that I met Landon Ricketts. He taught me to be a gunslinger and bounty hunter." She looked at her father with upturned hands. "Why is that so hard to believe? Do you not see how I'm dressed, or the guns I'm carryin'? I don't have all this for show."

"Bullshit, Madeline," Phillip snapped.

Edgar placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I don't think she's lying. Granted, I have yet to see her at work, but still, I think she's telling the truth."

"But _why_ did you run off?" Phillip continued.

Maddie crossed her arms across her chest and looked her father in the eyes. "You know why I left, Father. Don't pretend otherwise." She shook her head and took a step back. "I knew it was a mistake comin' back to Blackwater." She turned and picked up the stack of file folders, then turned to her uncle and said, "Thanks for these. I'll have these bounties in jail in no time. I'll see ya 'round." She turned to leave and step around her uncle and father, but she felt herself be yanked back by her bicep.

"Madeline, don't go!" her father pleaded. "I can't lose you again. _Please_ come home. Your step-mother and I want to see you back there again with us, like it used to be."

A bubbling rage prickled underneath her skin as she looked back at her father with a malicious glare. She jerked her arm out of his grasp and snarled, "You two just want me back under your roof, under your _control_. Well, Father, I'm a woman now, and I will do whatever the hell I wish! You may have kept my mother imprisoned at that farm, but I will _not_ fall victim to it! Goodbye, Father, and _don't_ come lookin' for me."

With that, she turned and left the office. She hastened to her horse hitched across the street, mounted up, and kicked the filly into a gallop out of town. She rode hard until she reached Manzanita Post, where she pulled up her filly and hitched her beside a cabin beside the post. She stomped into the building, rented the cabin from the man behind the counter, then went back outside and unsaddled her horse. She carried the tack inside the cabin, then went back to her horse and brushed her out and fed her some hay. Afterwards, she spent the rest of the afternoon in the cabin, sitting on one of the beds, and read through the folders, studying each of her targets like Edgar suggested. She ate supper when the time came, cleaned her guns, and went to sleep early for the hunt in the morning.

* * *

The sun was barely on the rise when Maddie woke; she rose quickly, ate breakfast, then strapped on her pistols and Henry repeater. She saddled Gypsy, mounted up, and rode into Tall Trees, following the road as it curved and straightened alongside the raging river, heading north towards Nekoti Rock. She kept a fierce vigilance for her target, Grant Avery, as well as bears and wolves. As she neared the bounty target's last known location, Maddie slowed her horse and turned her off the road. She stopped the filly and dismounted behind a bush, keeping her out of sight. She unslung her repeater from her shoulder and loaded it. The rush of excitement and adrenaline surged through her veins, amplifying her senses and quickening her heartbeat as she turned and began sneaking up to Nekoti Rock.

As she came up to the gang's hideout, she cut through the trees, keeping herself hidden behind the trunks before dashing over to the cluster of boulders beside the road. With her repeater at the ready, she chanced a peak above her at the path leading to Nekoti Rock. She immediately spotted five gang members on look-out with rifles and repeaters in their hands. She ducked back down behind her cover, paused for half a minute to slow her breathing and sharpen her focus, before she peaked back up and aimed at her first target.

The man was dead before he hit the ground: she shot him square in the chest before moving onto her next target. Red splotches stained the white snow as, one by one, the five men on look-out were shot down. Amidst the pandemonium, the men became flustered and panicked, firing desperately to end the onslaught. Maddie ducked down, her heart thundering in her chest.

"I'm bringin' you in, Grant Avery!" she roared. "Come out with your hands up, or more of your men die!"

Her answer came in a volley of gunshots ricocheting off the boulders. Maddie stayed behind the rocks as they wasted their ammo, and when they paused to reload, she shot back up, picked the next target, and fired. Another man fell dead, staining the snow red.

"Last chance, Avery! Come out or you all die!"

More gunfire answered her; she ducked back down behind the boulder.

"That's it," she hissed to herself as she slung her repeater over her shoulder. She drew both pistols, flicked back the toggles to load them, then stood up and charged up the path.

She was met with more men firing at her, but nothing mattered then but getting Grant Avery. She advanced forward, yelling an incoherent battle cry as she fired both pistols. Bullets flew and screams ripped through the morning; Maddie yelped as she felt a bullet tear through her right bicep. She quickly took cover behind the nearest rock and glanced down to see a tendril of blood seep down the sleeve of her duster.

"Fuck!" she cursed. Her arm was ablaze with pain, but she did her best to push it aside as she snuck a peak around the boulder. She'd shot down seven men, and six more took their fallen comrades' place. They ran down the trail from the top of Nekoti Rock, firing occasionally at her to keep her at bay until they found cover behind several rocks above her on the trail.

When she heard a break in the gunfire, she popped up, aimed, and fired, taking down an eighth man, who screamed in pain as he doubled over and fell to his knees. She'd shot him in the gut, and as he fell to his knees clutching his stomach, she finished him off with a bullet to the chest.

Back and forth the gunfire was exchanged; Maddie took her time taking down the gang members one by one. However, she began to feel faint, and she glanced down at her arm. The blood had seeped through her shirt, through the hole in her duster, and had stained her sleeve with multiple streaks of crimson. At the sight of this, she felt light-headed and had to lean up against her cover. She shook her head, trying to sharpen her vision.

 _Come on_ , she through to herself. _You've survived worse than this. Toughen up and finish the job!_

She leapt up from her cover, both guns firing, and in a blaze of bullets and a yell of rage and determination, she took down the last of Grant's men.

Out of nowhere, a bay horse came galloping down the trail at her. Maddie looked up at the horse, past its brown head, at the rider. Grant Avery was drawing his revolver and about to point it down at her. At the same time, Maddie threw her pistols up and aimed. Shots were fired, and Maddie proved to be the quickest draw as Grant clutched at his chest and fell off the horse. The bay gelding ran past her, leaving behind his dead rider, whose body left a streak of crimson in the snow as it slid to a stop ten yards in front of her.

Maddie panted with exhaustion as she trudged up to Grant's body. She bent down and rolled him over, making sure he was dead, before she straightened back up and whistled for her horse. Gypsy came galloping, nickering as she neared her rider. The filly stopped behind Maddie and waited patiently as her rider struggled to hoist the dead man's body up onto her shoulder, then over the horse's rump.

By the time the body was secured to the saddle, Maddie felt weak and lightheaded. Mounting her horse was just as difficult for her as throwing Avery's body up onto her horse's rump. Enervated and worried, Maddie reined her horse east and kicked her into a gallop, leaving behind the carnage and cutting through Tall Trees and heading straight for Blackwater.

Once she reached Blackwater, she headed to the police station, where she was met by her uncle, Archer, and two officers. They stood with their mouths agape as she dismounted and untied Avery's body, then pushed it off her horse's blood-stained rump.

"H-how?" Edgar asked.

"With bullets and grit, Uncle," she chuckled. Her knees buckled just then, and she almost fell to the ground were it not for Edgar's quick hands catching her mid-fall.

"Jesus Christ, Madde! You're bleeding!"

"Yeah, sorry," she slurred. "Got shot while tryin' to bring him in."

"Quick, let's get you to a doctor." Edgar looked at his officers and ordered, "See to it that Avery's body is taken care of, that Maddie's horse is taken to the livery, and that she gets paid." Without prompting, he swooped his niece up into his arms and carried her to the doctor's office, where she was treated of her wound and given medicine to stave off pain and a salve to fight off infection. To her dismay, her uncle insisted he pay the doctor instead of her, and she begrudgingly acquiesced…before passing out.


	19. Chapter 19: A Close Call

A few days later, after much-needed rest, Maddie was ready to leave Blackwater (and the doctor's office), despite Edgar and Archer's pleadings.

She shook her head as she mounted her black filly. She ignored the flare of pain in her arm as she settled into the saddle and gathered the reins. "I've wasted enough time layin' around when I could've been goin' after my next bounty."

"You're barely healed, Maddie," Archer rebuked. He and Edgar stood off to the side of her horse, giving her dubious looks.

"I'll be fine, Mister Fordham. It'll take a lot more than this," she motioned down to her injured arm with a nod, "to slow me down."

Edgar shook his head. "Your tenacity is foolish, Madeline. You must rest."

"And give Charlie Hinkle a chance to escape? No. By the time I get up to Tanner's Reach, he might not be there. He'll have caught onto me after word reaches Manzanita Post that I brought in Grant Avery."

Archer and Edgar shared concerned countenances.

"There will be other days, Maddie, other opportunities," Archer said, looking back up at her. "A bounty can wait; your health, however, cannot."

Maddie glared at him. "I'm. Fine." She nudged her heels to her horse's sides, and the filly trotted off. "I'll have Hinkle in by noon," she said to the men over her shoulder. She rode hard and fast out of Blackwater, across the Great Plains, and into Tall Trees. As she neared Tanner's Reach, she slowed Gypsy and turned her off the road and stopped her in the thick of the woods out of sight. Before she dismounted, she scanned the area quickly…and concluded that she was at a disadvantage: Tanner's Reach was on higher ground. With a sigh of frustration, she dismounted her horse. Gypsy began to graze as her rider walked off towards her destination with her left pistol drawn.

Her right bicep burned with pain; she thought it best to not use her right pistol as she quietly made her way to the bounty target's hideout. She skirted between the trees and bushes, keeping low and quiet and being vigilant of both her surroundings (should there be wolves or bears about) and of the small lodge above her. When she was three hundred yards away, she spotted the first man on lookout, facing her way with a repeater in his hands and his head slowly swiveling about. Maddie immediately ducked behind a tree and tried to slow her breathing. After a moment or so, she dared sneak a peak around the tree and bring up her pistol. She aimed for the man's chest and squeezed the trigger.

The gunshot set off a cacophony of sound and movement; men poured out from inside the cabin with guns drawn and shouting at one another.

"What happened to Stiles?!"

"She's here, you idiot!"

"Boss, stay in there! We've got you covered!"

The seven men set up a defensive position, circling the cabin and facing out towards the woods. Heads swiveled and eyes searched; trigger fingers twitched and chests heaved. Maddie took a chance and aimed at the nearest man; she shot him in the throat. Blood spurted out of the wound, and the man fell to his knees grasping desperately at his neck, before he fell to the ground dead.

"Goddamn it! She got Frank!"

"Where is this little bitch?!"

She took advantage of the pandemonium and trotted closer, hiding behind a thick pile of brush and a couple of trees.

Six more times she did this, picking off the men one by one before moving to a different position and hiding. The men had all but panicked and fired blindly about, hoping to deter her, but, like a phantom, she was swift and unseen in her quest. As the last of his men fell to the ground dead, Charlie Hinkle dashed outside, ran around to the other side of the cabin, and disappeared from her view.

"Shit!" she swore, and she stood up and ran toward the lodge.

The hasty sound of hoofbeats came to her ears; the sound was going away from her.

She sprinted after Hinkle on his horse and whistled for her own. Despite her arm burning, she propelled herself forward, following the hoofprints in the snow and the diminishing sound of the horse as it ran off into the woods.

Soon, Gypsy came galloping up to her, and she quickly mounted up and spurred her after Hinkle. The woods were a blur as she rode hard after the bounty. As she neared him, she cursed at the man for being clever, even in his panic: he was turning his horse left and right, deliberately keeping him and his horse in front of trees and any sort of cover should she fire at him. Maddie had her pistol up and at the ready, but she couldn't get a clear shot.

"Go, Gypsy! HYAH!"

She spurred her horse faster, and the filly bolted forward, catching up to the bay mare Hinkle rode.

The thick woods broke into a clearing. Hinkle realized his mistake too late and as he turned his horse to the left to go back into the woods, Maddie aimed and fired, sending a bullet through his side. The man screamed in agony and slumped in the saddle before falling off the mare; the horse loped off into the woods, leaving her rider to die in the snow and stain it with a crimson puddle.

Maddie pulled up her horse beside the body. She glared down at the dead man and declared, "You ain't gettin' away from me, you bastard." She dismounted her horse. " _Nobody_ gets away from me."

Getting the body onto her horse's back was almost impossible for her, especially with one arm. She had to use her lasso like a pulley, using a thick branch from a tree and all the strength she could summon to pull the body up and over her horse's rump. Once the man's body was on Gypsy, she tied him to the back of the saddle, mounted up, and rode back to Blackwater.

As promised, she delivered Charlie Hinkle at noon.

* * *

For the next week, Maddie took it easy at Manzanita Post, letting herself rest and heal, especially since she had ripped out a few stitches and had to get them redone at the doctor's office shortly after getting paid the two hundred dollars for Hinkle's body. It wasn't until she felt the pain from the patch-up and endured the doctor's chastising that she thought it best to take some time off. So after she paid the doctor, she went to the general store, stocked up on food, then went to the bookstore and bought a book, "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare. She loped Gypsy out of Blackwater and back to her cabin at Manzanita Post before either her uncle or her father could find her—she didn't particularly care to hear Edgar's reprimanding or Phillip's pleadings. For the first time in a long time, she sat in front of the crackling fireplace and dove into the book in between eating meals, napping, taking showers, and taking care of her horse. She made sure her horse was doted upon, making sure she was brushed out, fed often, and well-rested.

After the week of solitude and peace, however, Maddie began to feel lonely—her thoughts turned to her uncle and aunt. The next morning, she saddled up Gypsy and rode into Blackwater. She began to smile as she rode the familiar path to her aunt and uncle's house: she rode past the cemetery and church, down the hill, and up to the third house on the right. The gigantic two-story house with the wrap-around porch hadn't changed in a year—the white trim and gray house was just as beautiful and inviting as ever. Maddie stopped her horse in front of the white picket fence, dismounted, and hitched her to it. She opened the gate and walked up the stone path to the porch, and her smile brightened as her eyes fell on her aunt sitting on the white rocking chair sipping a cup of tea. She still looked as sweet and loving as ever in her floral dress and long white hair tied up in a neat bun. Time had aged her like fine wine, enriching all the best qualities in the woman, and while she had a few more wrinkles on her face, she was still a beam of maternal beauty and love.

The woman blinked and lowered her cup to the small plate resting on her lap. "Can I help you, ma'am?" she asked.

Maddie laughed and asked, "Don't you know your own niece when you see her?" She looked down at herself, then smirked and added, "Well, in this attire, I'm sure you don't, Aunt Emily."

Emily Ross gasped and looked her over more closely. "Madeline Ann Ross! Oh, my Lord, it's _you_!" She set her fine china down the porch floor, then leapt to her feet, ran down the three porch steps and threw her arms around her niece. Maddie returned the tight embrace, and the women began to weep softly.

"Oh, Madeline! How I've missed you, dear girl!" Emily said as she stroked her niece's hair. "Where oh where have you been?!"

"Did Uncle Edgar not tell you?" She released her aunt and looked around. "Where is he, by the way?"

"He's in Mexico with Archer, on business."

"Mexico? What's he doin' down there?"

"I'm not sure, darling. He said it had something to do with that John Marston fellow. You've heard about him, haven't you?"

Maddie nodded.

"Your uncle was called to action suddenly, but he's quite used to it—his job demands so much of the poor man." Emily released her niece and took a step back to admire her at arms-length. "And as for your question, he did tell me that you were back, but he didn't specify what you've been up to, or where you were staying. Honey, you can stay here. Your room is still the same as it always was; it's ready for you."

Maddie grinned as she pictured the pale pink room with the white curtains and small bed, as well as the white dresser and armoire. "Aunt Emily, you are too kind, but I don't want to be a bother."

"Oh, darling, you're _never_ a bother! I'd _love_ it if you stayed with us!"

"I'm, uh…staying at Manzanita Post."

Her aunt gave her an incredulous countenance. "You're staying _there_? What for? Darling, you should be staying here. Save your money and spend your nights here! I must insist! It's been so long since you've stayed." She paused and looked her over once more. "You look thin, dear girl. You _must_ get something to eat. Come inside!" She ushered her up on the porch and into the house, pausing to retrieve her tea and plate.

The living room was just as welcoming and exquisite as Maddie remembered, with beautiful paintings hanging on the wallpapered walls and leather furniture; the old grandfather clock still ticked away the time in the corner of the room, while the stand-up piano sat invitingly over against the opposite wall. Maddie sat down on the leather couch as her aunt disappeared around the corner in the kitchen. Moments later, she returned with a tray of her floral tea set and a slice of chocolate cake on a plate. She handed Maddie the cake and a fork, then sat the tray down on the wooden coffee table between her and the two leather chairs across from her. Maddie watched her as she poured her a cup of tea, and even though she wasn't particularly hungry at the time, her aunt's famous chocolate cake was beckoning her, and so she took an enriching bite of it. It was just as savory and delicious as she remembered, and she dove into the cake with gusto.

"Here you are, my dear," Emily said as she set her teacup atop the plate in front of her on the coffee table.

Maddie swallowed the luscious mouthful of cake and replied, "Thank you, Aunt Emily. Your baking is just as delicious as I remembered."

"Thank you, sweetheart." She sat down across from her niece on one of the leather chairs and picked up her teacup and plate. She took a thoughtful sip, then lowered it to the plate sitting on her lap and said, "So, tell me: where have you been this past year? I want to know of your adventures. Your uncle told me you've been to Mexico and back. Is that true?"

Maddie nodded as she raised her teacup to her lips. She took a sip, then said, "Yup. I was in Mexico for a year learning how to be a gunslinger and then a bounty hunter with the help of Landon Ricketts. He taught me everything I know now, and I couldn't be more indebted to the wonderful man. You should've met him, Aunt Emily: he is quite something."

Emily gaped at her. "You're kidding me."

Maddie shook her head. "Nope. I really did meet him."

"So… you're a bounty hunter now?" her aunt dubiously asked, blinking several times. "How…. How did this come to happen?"

Maddie told her story to her, from the night she left on the eve of her father's wedding night to her training and then bringing in the bounties. Afterwards, she sat in silence waiting for her aunt to speak, and for a long moment, she didn't. Doubt and worry entered her sweet face; she pursed her lips and furrowed her brow in thought as she took a reflective sip.

"Aunt Emily, are you all right?"

"Yes, dear. It's just that…well…"

Maddie leaned forward in her seat. "Yes?"

"I…I just don't know what to think of it all."

"I'm makin' good money, Aunt Emily, and I'm real careful. I bring 'em in dead most of the time, anyways. I'm bringin' in criminals and keepin' the streets safe. Besides, it's something that Mama would be proud of. I'm doing something with my life, and I think she'd be happy for me."

Emily paused for a moment, bit down on her lip, then asked, "What does your father say about it?"

Maddie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Well, you know him. He's just as much of a skeptic as everybody else. But I'll show him and everyone around that I can do this job and be damn good at it, too."

"Maddie, dear, I'm scared for you! What if you get shot?"

She shrugged. "I'm a bounty hunter. It happens. Besides, the wound will heal up and be just another scar."

"Darling, you could get killed!"

"Not if I kill them first."

The women looked at each other for a long moment, before Maddie broke the silence.

"I'll see myself out, Aunt Emily." She stood up, set her tea and plate on the tray, then turned to leave.

"Madeline, please don't leave! Please, stay and talk with me. I've missed you so much. Please stay here for a few nights. I don't want you staying at that cabin in Tall Trees: it's dangerous up there in the forest. Lord knows what could happen to you."

Maddie snorted. "You're talkin' to a bounty hunter, Aunt Emily. I'll be safe, trust me. I know how to handle myself." She pulled back her duster and showed her aunt the semi-automatic pistols that hung on her hips.

"Madeline, listen to me: what you're doing is dangerous and uncanny for such a little thing such as yourself. Women don't become bounty hunters, darling, they simply just don't. It's unnatural, dear. Please don't continue this brash road—you could get yourself killed, and for what? A few hundred dollars? Madeline, your life is worth more than that, to me, your uncle, and especially your father."

The bounty hunter glared down at her. "You just don't get it, do you? It ain't about the money. It's about bringin' in criminals and keepin' the streets safe. I'm doin' you and everyone else here in Blackwater a service, and a damn good one at that! Besides, there ain't no one else out there like me that's doin' this kind of job." She looked her aunt over, then added, "It was nice seein' you." Then she turned and walked out of the house.

She mounted her horse and spurred her into a gallop out of town _Nobody believes me_ , she thought. _This is ridiculous! Who says a woman can't be a bounty hunter? Well, I'll show all these disbelieving sons-a-bitches up and show 'em how it's_ really _done!_ She rode hard and fast back to her cabin at Manzanita Post, where she hitched her horse at the cabin before going into the store and buying a bottle of whiskey. She went into her cabin and, for several hours, sipped at the whiskey and cleaned her firearms. When she began to feel buzzed, she ate from her rations then went to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Maddie was still angry. She ate a quick breakfast from her rations, reloaded her firearms, saddled her horse, and rode into Tall Trees toward Aurora Basin. She didn't bother to take the road, but instead through the wild. She skirted around a pack of four wolves; Gypsy easily outran the canines and continued to Ralph Stricker's last known location. She loped her horse abreast of the raging river, and just as the road began to curve around the boulders and drop-off where Tanner's Reach sat above her, she pulled her horse to a stop, dismounted, and took out the Carcano rifle from the saddle scabbard. She checked to make sure she had a full magazine, then loaded it, and continued on foot.

Aurora Basin sprawled out before her; just three-hundred yards in front of her sat a shack with a dock, and within it, Ralph Stricker and his men. She snuck up to the edge of the lake and hid behind a tree as she looked through the scope and counted the men on patrol. At least ten gang members idled about the place, some on guard duty, others ambling about mindlessly. Maddie scoped the place as quick as she could, and she let out a grumble when she couldn't find Ralph.

 _The bastard's probably inside the shack, hiding like a coward,_ she thought with a frown. _Oh, well. No matter: I'll take out his men and then go in for him. It'll be easy._

With that, she aimed her sights on the first of many men and pulled the trigger. The gun kicked back against her shoulder, making her grunt in discomfort, but she reloaded and fired again and again. After the third man fell dead, the rest of Stricker's men knew her position and began firing. She kept her back pressed against the tree, making sure her shoulders weren't sticking out for them to shoot. Back and forth they exchanged fire; Maddie was slower to reload after each gunshot—her injury pained her, but not enough to stop her from continuing with the hunt. One by one, the men fell. When the last gang member tumbled to the ground, Maddie went back to her horse, mounted up, and galloped over to Aurora Basin.

Everything was eerily quiet; the dead bodies of Stricker's men were scattered about, staining the ground with their blood. Nothing stirred outside or inside the shack as Maddie dismounted her horse and approached with her pistol drawn and her senses sharpened. Cautiously, she opened the door and entered the shack, looking about as she walked further in.

Out of nowhere, a large, powerful arm wrapped itself around her neck, choking her and holding her in a firm grip. A hand wrapped itself around her mouth and nose, making it almost impossible to breath as she struggled against her captor's grip. Maddie panicked, dropping her pistol as she thrashed and screamed. A cold wash of dread flooded her chest as she felt her oxygen being cut off—the arm tightened around her neck and the hand cupped harder against her face. Her vision blurred, and the edges of her sight began to blacken. The darkness quickly overtook her, and in a moment of pure panic, Maddie reached for her hunting knife, unsheathed it, and wildly stabbed behind her.

A wail of excruciation sounded, and the arm and hand immediately released her. Maddie collapsed to the floor, coughing and gasping.

"You little whore!" a man shouted. "You've stabbed me!"

Maddie caught a glimpse of her gun as her sight slowly returned. She wasted no time grabbing it, leaping to her feet, spinning around, and aiming her gun up at the man. Ralph Stricker froze in place in fear; he held his bleeding gut with both hands, and a flicker of horrified acceptance crossed his face as he watched Maddie pull the trigger. The bullet tore through his chest and buried into the wall behind him; Ralph gasped and gurgled as he fell to his knees, clutching at his bullet wound, before he fell face-first onto the floor.

Maddie leaned against the opposite wall, gasping and shaking terribly. Tears quickly flooded her eyes, and she slid down the wall, sat down, then cradled herself with both arms and cried hard for several minutes straight. All the while, a growing puddle of blood seeped out of Stricker's body that lay ten feet away from her.

In what felt like ages, Maddie tried collecting herself. She tried to slow her chaotic breathing, tried to ease her thundering heartbeat, and attempted to stop quaking. Adrenaline still pumped thickly through her body, so she stood up, drug Ralph's body out of the shack, then whistled for her horse. Gypsy came running, and after she came to a stop before her, Maddie threw the bounty's body over her horse's rump.

She rode to Blackwater as fast as her horse could gallop, dropped off the body at the police station, then rode straight to the saloon, where she hitched her horse out front and walked inside. She beckoned the bartender over urgently.

"What'll it be, Miss Ross?" the man asked.

"Whiskey, please," she urgently said.

The man blinked and looked her over. "You okay, miss? You look paler than the moon."

She nodded. "Just get me some whiskey, please."

"Alright, then," he said, and he fetched the bottle and shot glass. The second the drink was poured, Maddie eagerly picked it up and threw it back. She beckoned for another.

"Easy, Miss Ross. You ought to slow down."

"To hell with that, barkeep. Just keep 'em comin' until I say so."

Four shots later, Maddie was considerably buzzed and calm. No longer did she quake with terror, or her heartbeat gallop in her chest. She was content, happy even, as she paid the bartender, stumbled out the door, unhitched her horse, mounted up, and rode back to Manzanita Post. Before she knew it, she was back at her cabin. Unsaddling her horse was a little more difficult, but she managed to do so and carry the tack inside with her before locking the door behind her. She dropped the tack on the floor beside her bed. She eagerly dug into her rations, and once she had her fill, she crawled underneath the bedsheets and fell asleep to the sound of the fire crackling.


	20. Chapter 20: Dinner For Two

She was awoken the next morning by a knock on the cabin door. Grumbling, she got out of bed and shuffled over to the door. She opened it and was shocked to see her father standing on the other side of the threshold.

"What are you doin' here?" she growled, her voice hoarse from sleep.

Phillip smiled sheepishly down at his daughter. He took off his hat and held it by the brim in front of him. "Hello, Madeline. I heard you were staying here."

"Who told you?"

"Your uncle."

 _Damn that man_ , she thought as she frowned and shifted her weight from foot to foot. "What do you want?"

"I…I came to apologize to you, my dear. I'm sorry for how our conversation went at Edgar's office." His eyes flickered from her to his hat and back as he explained, "I didn't expect to see you in town ever again, especially since you've been gone for a year. And…And I'm sorry for not believing you. Your uncle informed me of everything you've done." He shook his head and smirked up at her. "My daughter's a bounty hunter. I can only imagine what your mother would say."

Maddie ducked her head and hid her face behind her hair.

"I also wanted to see if you would like to have dinner with me at the Blackwater Restaurant. It's been a while since we've been there—it'll be like old times, and I want to hear all about what you've been up to."

"I'm busy," she replied curtly. "I've got bounties to go after."

"Can't that wait? It's just dinner with your old man." He looked her up and down and frowned. "Do you have something more…formal to wear?"

Maddie scoffed and spread out her arms, gesturing to herself with a downward nod. "What you see is what you get."

"Can…Can I interest you in a new dress? It'll be my gift to you for returning home."

"Don't waste your money, Father. I don't wear those ghastly things anymore."

"You did when you were little."

"I've grown up."

Phillip leaned in, and his voice softened with concern as he uttered, "People are gonna talk, Madeline. Young ladies don't wear men's clothing."

She crossed her arms. "Neither do they know how to shoot a gun or bring in bounties, but _I do_."

Phillip looked down and sighed. He stared down at his hat and fiddled with it in his hands before he looked back up at her. "So, will you go eat with your old man today?"

She glanced off to the side. "I don't know…"

" _Please_ , my dear. Just for the afternoon."

A long moment passed before she sighed and bowed her head. She nodded as she looked back at her father and said, "Alright, I'll meet you there."

He smiled. "I'll give you some time to freshen up. Let's say one o'clock…?"

Maddie nodded. "Sounds good to me."

He nodded, turned around, and walked down the three steps and around the corner to his hitched horse. Maddie closed the door afterwards and stood blinking and staring down at the floor, not processing what just happened.

 _Great_ , she thought with a bemused frown. _I can't believe I just agreed to that. Then again, he was practically begging. What does he want with me, anyways?_

She kept herself from dwelling on it further by making coffee, eating breakfast, then heading over to the store, where she bought a new set of clothes (of similar color to her old ones) and a bar of soap. She went back to her cabin, fetched water for a bath, then went inside and stripped off her old clothes and set them aside while she took a much-needed bath. She cleaned her wound and changed bandages after she dried off, then changed into her new clothes and combed through her hair. Once her hair was somewhat dry, she pulled it back into a long braid, put on her hat, gun belt, and duster. Then she saddled up her horse and rode to Blackwater.

She hitched Gypsy on the other side of the road from the restaurant, then walked over and stood waiting for her father by the entrance. She checked her pocket watch. It read twelve fifty-five. He arrived just a minute before their appointed time and hitched his horse beside Gypsy, then walked towards her. He was dressed in a grey suit, white shirt, tan boots, blue tie, and a dark blue bowler hat.

Phillip smiled as he came up to her. "You changed clothes, I see."

Maddie nodded. "I figured I should get a little spruced up." She gestured to him. "Looks like you did too."

He opened the door for her. "Shall we?"

She smirked and passed through. He followed and closed the door behind them.

The Blackwater Restaurant was as she remembered: stylish, classy, and full of sophisticated people. As they stopped in front of the welcoming desk, many an eye turned upon them. Judgmental looks and shocked glances were thrown at Maddie; she glared at them all and raised her chin defiantly, while her father averted their stares. Once they were shown to their seats, Phillip pulled out a chair for Maddie, who took it and, after scooting in her chair, she immediately picked up the menu, reading it to busy herself. Her father did the same, and the minutes passed by slowly as they decided what to order. After a time, however, Maddie felt his gaze upon her, and she looked up at him and blinked as she noticed the strange expression upon his face as he looked her over more closely.

"What's wrong, Father?"

A sad glimmer entered his eyes as he replied, "I have missed you, Madeline. I was so afraid I'd never see you again…And now that you're back, it's…it's like looking at your mother." Tears began to well in his eyes. "You look just like her, you know, and you've certainly inherited her tenacious spirit."

Her jaw dropped open, and she struggled to speak as her eyes began to swim in tears. She blinked them away and looked down at the menu, hiding her face from her father behind her hat.

"I'm sorry."

She met gazes with him once more. "For what?"

"For driving my only daughter away. I never meant to do that, you know."

Maddie put down the menu and clasped her hands atop it. "What's done is done. That's all in the past—I'm over it."

"No, you're not, and neither am I."

"What do you want me to say? That things will be different, that we'll be a family again? _What do you want from me, Father?_ "

"I want your forgiveness."

Words failed her as she sat staring at him.

"I know it's not going to be easy," Phillip continued, leaning towards her with his elbows on the table and his hands reaching for hers. "I'm not expecting you to forgive me now, maybe not even tomorrow or in a couple months, but _eventually_."

Maddie withdrew her hands and placed them upon her lap. She stared down at them and frowned, not knowing what to say.

"And in the meantime," her father added, "I'd also like it if you told me everything that has happened to you in the year you've been away."

She scoffed as she looked back up at him. "Edgar already told you."

"Yes, but I want to hear it from the bounty hunter herself."

She couldn't help but smirk. "Alright, then." And so, she told him, everything from meeting Landon to going on bounty hunts with and without him, to going after the bounties in Tall Trees.

"What an adventure you have had," Phillip said.

Maddie found it difficult to voice her next question, but after a moment, she asked, "And…and what about you and…Helen?"

Phillip frowned and tucked his chin down onto his collarbone. "It's been…difficult. We haven't done much this past year except try to find you. Maddie, she's been so distraught over losing you. She blames herself, you know."

The young bounty hunter blinked. Before she could stop herself, she said, "You're kidding."

He shook his head and looked back up at his daughter. "No, Madeline, I'm not. We've been lost." He paused, looking closely at her. He smiled, eyes brimming in tears. "And now that you're back, it's been such a relief. She wants to see you. She wants you over at the house for tea and muffins."

Maddie couldn't help but stare in slack-jawed awe.

"Why does that surprise you?"

"Because she never wanted to have me as her daughter when she moved in. And she always tried to make me into some prim and proper princess."

"That was then, and this is now, Maddie. Just give her a second chance. Please say you'll stop by and see us…see her."

Maddie hid her face behind her hat, thinking long and hard.

" _Please_ , Maddie."

"We'll see, Father."

By that time, the waiter stopped by their table, donning a fancy suit and carrying the menus. They ordered the special: steak, potatoes, and vegetables. Maddie also requested a beer, while her father asked for a water. As the waiter walked off, Maddie looked at her father and asked, "What, no whiskey for you?"

Phillip shook his head. "I stopped drinking after you and your uncle helped me back home that last time. Remember? I haven't had a drop since."

"Wow."

"I've been keeping my promise to you, darling, even in your absence."

She didn't know what to say, so she looked over and stared out the windows. People bustled by on foot and on horseback. Day by day, it seemed like Blackwater grew. She voiced her thoughts, saying, "Blackwater sure is gettin' big. So many people in such a hurry to get nowhere."

Phillip snorted. "Indeed."

Soon afterwards, their meals arrived, as well as their drinks. They dug into their meals eagerly; a timid silence crept between them.

"When did you start drinking, Madeline?" he asked, a tone of negativity in his voice.

"A while ago," she hesitantly replied. "I had some tequila in Mexico. Haven't had much, though."

"Don't lie to me."

She blinked, her anger rising. "I'm not like how you used to be, if that's what you're implying."

He looked her deep in her eyes. "Just don't make it a regular occurrence in your life, that's all I'm saying. Be careful."

"I am." She gestured down to her drink. "It's only one beer, Father. That's all I'm havin'."

"Good," he said, and he returned to his meal.

They were quiet for a time, until Maddie broke the silence.

"It sure is nice to have a hot meal. Haven't had this good of a meal in a long time."

Phillip blinked and looked up at her with concern. "You do seem skinny, Maddie. Have you not been eating regularly?"

"I have been. It's just that I have to travel light. As a bounty hunter, you can't be burdened with a lot in your saddlebags. You just gotta have the necessities, and I'm fine with that. It just means eatin' quick meals beside the fire."

"You still hunt then?"

She nodded. "Of course. I hunt whenever I need to. Don't hunt anything big, though. A rabbit or two here and there, maybe a small deer once in a while." She smirked. "You remember that big elk in Tall Trees years ago?"

Phillip smirked and nodded. "I do. You were just fourteen when you took that big bull down. We had to take two trips just to get all the meat back home."

"You still got the antlers?"

He nodded again. "Got 'em hanging up on the wall above the fireplace."

She smiled. "We should go hunting again."

"We should. It's been a long time."

"Indeed."

The rest of their meal was spent in silence as they finished up. Once they were done, they went over to the bar, and Phillip paid for the meal. Then they left and walked back to their horses. For a long moment, they stood staring at each other.

"It was good to see you, Madeline."

"Yeah. You too."

Phillip smiled as he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. Maddie blinked and returned the embrace after a few shocked seconds. "I'm glad you're back," he added, before he stepped back and released her. He turned and unhitched his horse, then mounted up. "Will you be staying at Manzanita Post, then?"

Maddie unhitched her horse as well and mounted up. "Yeah," she answered, not looking at him.

"You know you're more than welcome back at the house."

"I know, but I probably won't be in Blackwater for much long."

A look of pain and sadness flashed across his face. "What? Why?"

"I've got three more men on my list to bring in, and once I do, I'm gonna be heading to Cholla Springs."

"So soon? But you just got back to town!"

She nodded sadly. "I know." She smirked reassuringly at him and added, "But I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Be sure that you do, Madeline." He nudged his heels to his horse's sides, and as the horse started off down the street, he said, "I hope to see you soon, my dear. Come by the house some time."

"I will, Father. See you later."

She watched him ride off, and as she reined Gypsy around and kicked her into a lope and rode out of town, tears began to trickle down her cheeks. As she got onto the road, she spurred her horse into a sprint. Maddie began to sob as memories of her childhood, both delightful and depressing, came rushing back to molest her mind's eye. Her horse flew down the road back to Manzanita Post, and when she got to the cabin, she hitched her horse and immediately went inside, laying down on the bed and letting her sorrow overtake her.

Minutes passed, and as her sobs waned, she quieted down. After she calmed and collected herself, she went to the general store, bought a cigar, then went back to the cabin and smoked it outside, sitting on the wooden bench and contemplating.


End file.
